Unlocking Doors, Opening Windows
by ElisaCollette
Summary: This story is placed when the six are ready to go off to college. It explores the growing relationship of Nathan and Haley and the beginning of a new relationship for Peyton and Lucas. COMPLETE
1. I Walk a Lonely Road

This is a story that explores how Peyton and Lucas became a couple. The story mostly follows the events of the show, up to the beginning of the second season—but Keith still owns his show and Lucas still works there. Also, Jake returned a few months after leaving and he and Peyton have been dating ever since. I think everything else is pretty well explained, but if there is any confusion, let me know. Hope everyone enjoys! Please let me know if it is worth continuing. Thanks!

Unlocking Doors, Opening Windows

Chapter 1 – I Walk a Lonely Road

The North Carolina sun was still high in the hazy blue sky when Lucas left work at the garage for the last time, well hopefully the last time, in his young life. He drove down the street, making a mental list of the things he still needed to pack before his train left in two short days. Most of the larger items had been shipped ahead to his university-provided apartment, but there were still clothes and books to be sorted through and packed into the last remaining suitcases. Thanks to both academic and athletic scholarships, Lucas was looking at a completely free ride at one of the best schools in the country; Columbia. His tuition, books, and a one-bedroom apartment were all covered under scholarships while state grants would help a great deal with living expenses.

Although he would miss his mother a great deal, Lucas didn't feel that he was leaving much else behind. Haley and Nathan had both been offered considerably generous scholarships to Columbia; she for academics and he for basketball. The coach wouldn't consider turning down the chance to have both Scott brothers on his same team. Peyton was also going to be in New York studying in Columbia's well-respected art program. While Lucas was ticking through his mental list of shirts and other belongings he wanted to be sure to take, he failed to notice that a black car had just blown the red light at the intersection and was headed straight for him. He swerved just in time, and noticed that it was Peyton's car, with a very frazzled and frightened Peyton in the front seat.

Following her closely until she pulled over in a nearby park, Lucas jumped out of the truck and stormed toward her. Fortunately for her, his anger dissipated when he noticed that his friend was almost in tears and her hands, which were gripped tightly on the wheel, trembled wildly. He called her name but she didn't even turn her head in acknowledgement. Reaching in through the open window, he unlocked her door and opened it so that he could turn off her engine and pull her from the car.

"What are you doing? I thought we were passed this stage where you tried to kill yourself."

"I wasn't—" Peyton answered shakily, leaning against the car for support. Tears threatened the corners of her currently brown eyes so she shut them in an attempt to stop the onslaught. "All the times I tried—and this wasn't on purpose. I didn't see the light. I'm so sorry—"

"It's okay now. I'm fine, you're fine." His voice was gentle and his intentions fueled by genuine concern as his arms tried to circle her in a hug. She turned away, wiping harshly at the tears that had finally escaped.

"Please don't be nice. I can't deal with that right now—"

"Peyton, what's going on?" Lucas hadn't seen her in such a state since the last anniversary of her mother's death; but at least on that occasion he had understood the source. Peyton shook her head, walking away from him and wandering somewhat aimlessly into the children's playground, where luckily no children were currently attempting to play. Lucas was about to follow her but was distracted when her cell phone began to ring from her purse, the contents of which were scattered across her backseat. He picked up the call immediately when he saw Haley's name on the screen.

"Hales?"

"Hey Luke. Are you with Peyton? Or did I dial the wrong number again? I'm losing it—"

"Haley. It's Peyton's phone. What's going on?"

"I was about to ask her the same thing. She was supposed to be here forty-five minutes ago. Brooke's here, and I don't know how much longer I can hold her off. We were supposed to go shopping." Brooke felt that if she could not be with her two best friends in New York, she could at least impart some last bits of fashion sense before they left later that week.

"I don't think she's in a shopping mood," Lucas answered as he watched Peyton pace around the merry-go-round, her hair blowing wildly in the late summer wind. If Lucas knew anything about that type of wind, he guessed that they were in for a heavy storm later that night. Haley wasn't talking to him anymore, she was focused on the scene in her living room, where Brooke was currently screaming at a newly-arrived Jake and attempting to hit him with one of Nathan's signed baseball bats that usually sat in the hall closet. Haley dropped the phone in an attempt to grab Brooke as the short brunette ran past. Lucas listened with intent, wondering what in the world was going on. A minute or so later, Haley returned to the phone but Lucas could still hear Brooke screeching in the background.

"Luke?"

"Still here Hales."

"Jake just came in."

"Why's Brooke yelling?"

"It seems that Jake broke up with Peyton less than an hour ago. He came here because he couldn't get a hold of anyone and he wanted to make sure she got home alright."

"And suddenly everything makes sense," Lucas said as his eyes fell again to the troubled blond, who was now twisting back and forth on a wooden swing on the other side of the playground. She obviously had no intention of bothering Lucas to give back her car keys. And that was a good thing because he had no intention of returning them to the moody Peyton; she was dangerous when operating machinery.

"Take care of her Luke," Haley pleaded softly. "We'll wait back at her house."

"We'll be there as soon as we can," Luke agreed. "Get over there soon. It looks like this weather is going to get ugly." Black clouds were rolling in as they spoke.

"It's not supposed to rain," Haley argued as she moved to her kitchen window. Sure enough, storm clouds were on their way in. "I guess I misread the weather. Be careful. I'll see you soon." Lucas hung up the cell phone and tossed it back into the car; carefully pocketing her keys before crossing the playground to the antiquated swing set. The scent of rain in the thick air was accented with a bit of vanilla, and what he would later recognize as ginger, as he stood next to her swing.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about it—"

"He's leaving me," Peyton answered softly, her voice barely audible over the noise caused by the wind blowing leaves through the grass.

"_Or maybe you do_," Lucas thought to himself. He remained outwardly silent, waiting to see if she was going to follow that revelation up with any sort of thought or feeling. She remained quiet, staring at nothing in particular as the swing continued to sway gently in the breeze that was now seriously becoming more of a wind.

"We need to get inside," Lucas said. Peyton made absolutely no move to react to his statement, so he took her hand in his and forcibly pulled her to the car, where he pushed her into the passenger side. "The hell you're driving," he snapped when she looked at him in surprise.

"Your truck—"

"It's more durable than this thing," he answered as he pulled out of the park and turned toward her house. They both remained silent for the rest of the ride; she surprisingly had nothing to say when he switched on the radio and let it play, regardless of what her choice might have been. Pulling up as close to the porch as possible, Lucas noted that Brooke's little blue car was already parked next to the house. Although the rain had just begun, the two blonds were thoroughly soaked in the two minutes it took him to drag her from the car and run to the front porch. Haley, intuitive as usually, was waiting with towels and coffee. Brooke clucked and cooed as she shepherded Peyton into the house and up to her room, ignoring Lucas completely.

He and Haley, sitting in the kitchen with a pot of coffee and a plate of cookies, heard the bath water running a few minutes later. Brooke joined them several minutes later, gaining a strange look from Haley. "What? She can be alone for two minutes." Brooke said as she poured a cup of coffee. "Its only Jake. It's not like she's going to drown herself in the tub over Jake." Haley didn't look so convinced.

Despite the attempts of Haley and Brooke, Lucas refused to leave that night. He sat in the living room, listening to the rain pound against the windows as he stared for hours at the same page of _Tom Jones_. The look on Peyton's face when she had run the red light and later when she had told him about Jake had left quite the impression on Lucas. He was haunted; he wouldn't be able to sleep until he was sure she was all right. Haley awarded his stubbornness with a pillow and blanket but informed him that he wasn't going to see Peyton that night. She didn't want to see him and she was too distraught to be argued with. Despite the fact that Peyton desperately wanted to rid herself of loneliness and fear, she didn't quite know how to let anyone in; she had spent too much time facing her fears and her troubles alone.

The title for the first chapter comes from the Green Day Song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" –

"I walk a lonely road  
The only one I that have ever known  
Don't know were it goes  
But its home and I walk alone"


	2. Couldn't Leave Her if I Tried

Thanks to lysser8312, a.k.a.-ashley and tutorgirl323 for reviewing; I'm glad you all like the new story! And it's really encouraging to know that someone other than me is enjoying it! Here's the next installment… the story starts out slow, but it will eventually pick up the pace. Thanks everyone for reading and please let me know that you think!

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Chapter 2 Couldn't Leave her if I Tried

The sleepless night was passed with many tears, a few pots of tea, cartons of ice cream, and quite a bit of stock from Brooke's emergency liquor supply. Lucas was the only one in the household awake before noon the next day. He took advantage of the time to clean up after the storm. It had left more damage in its path than they had realized. Tree branches filled the Sawyers' yard and Lucas walked outside just in time to see one of their elderly neighbors attempting to fix a mailbox that had been blown over by the high-speed winds.

Peyton woke slowly and realized that she was sandwiched between Brooke and Haley, both of whom were still deep in sleep. She crept out of bed and padded slowly down the stairs, wondering if Lucas had really spent the night; she had heard snippets of conversation from the night prior that led her to think he may have refused to leave. Seeing no sign of him in the living room or kitchen, she was just about to return to bed when she heard a loud noise from the front yard. Drawing back a gauzy curtain, she saw Lucas helping Mr. Howard with his mailbox.

Ignoring the dampness of the grass, she walked out into the yard and stood behind him, watching as he gathered more sticks and branches on his way back to the porch. Since he was looking at the ground, he almost bumped into her before noticing her. If Peyton had gotten any sleep the previous night, it didn't show the least bit. Her eyes were red, puffy, and rimmed underneath with dark circles. He hair, wilder than usual as a result of the humidity from the storm, was barely tamed back in a lose ponytail. The pajamas she wore were well suited for summer, but not for the damp and chilly morning they were currently experiencing.

"It's cold. You shouldn't be out here," Lucas chided gently. Laying the sticks on an already large pile, he put his arm around her shoulder and led her carefully back into the warm house. He turned around to close the door when he spotted Nathan walking up the sidewalk, vigilantly trying not to step on any of the remaining storm debris.

"Hey Peyton, Luke. Have you seen my wife?"

"Sleeping upstairs," Peyton answered in a monotone voice. At least she was offering information, Lucas reasoned.

"Another man?" Nathan asked with a mock expression of concern.

"Another woman," Peyton answered with a smirk. Nathan laughed and followed the two into the Sawyer home.

"I'm sorry to hear about Jake." Nathan was the first person to simply bring the issue into direct conversation.

"It's probably better this way."

"If it's meant to be, you'll have him back."

"I don't think it was mean to be," Peyton answered with a lack of emotion noticed by both brothers. Lucas was working on breakfast while Peyton and Nathan sat across from one another at the table. "He said we were moving apart—"

"At least he knows his geography," Nathan answered with a good-natured laugh. Peyton almost smiled, but thought against it. Jake was going to Florida for college and she was going to New York but she had been willing to attempt a long distance relationship. Apparently, it wasn't all that important to Jake. Peyton's hands began to shake again once that thought passed through her exhausted mind. Nathan noticed and compassionately took her smaller hands in his. "You'll find the one, Peyton. And it's going to be someone who loves you as much as you deserve to be loved."

"Who are you and what have you done with Nathan Scott?" Lucas snorted as he tried to hold back laughter at Peyton's question. It was true; the kind words didn't sound like something that would normally come from his younger brother. Nevertheless, they seemed to have helped Peyton. She even smiled when Lucas set a plate of waffles and fruit in front of her. She only picked at it, but Nathan's appetite made up for the difference. Lucas was still standing at the stove when Haley came down the stairs looking almost as exhausted as Peyton.

"Morning," she said with a yawn. She sat on Nathan's lap and laid her head on his shoulder, contemplating the possibility of falling asleep again. Then, she smelled food. She looked up and noticed Lucas standing in the kitchen. "Waffles?" She looked at Lucas hopefully and he soon set a full plate before her, shaking his head in amusement as he sat down next to Peyton.

"The storm didn't cause too much damage," he said to Peyton in a normal tone. "There's a fence post in the backyard that needs fixed, but it shouldn't take long. Other than that, it's just a lot of loose branches."

"I'll give you a hand with it," Nathan said as he began to stand up. He picked Haley up and set her back down on the chair by herself.

"Don't bother," Peyton interrupted before Lucas could get up. "You guys have other things to do before you leave."

"Actually, I'm pretty much ready to go," Lucas argued. "And it won't take long."

"It's not like I have to pack for myself," Nathan said jokingly, earning a glare from his wife.

"It's not important," Peyton argued, visibly upset but probably not over the fencepost. Haley moved her chair closer to Peyton and, ignoring any protests, gathered the other girl into her arms. Sobs erupted seconds later. She motioned over Peyton's shoulder for the boys to go and do whatever it was they needed to do. When they reentered the house, the brothers found Peyton and Haley dry-eyed and dressed, laughing at a very grumpy Brooke. Apparently, she woke up on the wrong side of the wrong bed.

"I think I need to go home and change," Haley said abruptly, standing up from her place on the living room sofa. She shook Brooke's shoulder, trying to move the girl from her current position on the other sofa where she was sprawled face down. "Come on, Brooke. You could use a shower." Haley transferred the semi-conscious brunette to Nathan and leaned down to hug Peyton. "We'll be back."

"You don't have to—"

"We'll be back," Haley interrupted firmly. "Keep an eye on this one," she said as she playfully ruffled Lucas's hair. She knew from the look in his calm blue eyes that he wouldn't leave Peyton for a second. He had made the mistake of leaving her once before and he wasn't about to repeat such an error in judgment.

Brooke, Nathan, and Haley left quickly, taking the tense atmosphere with them. Once they left, Lucas and Peyton fell into a comfortable banter revolving around nothing more serious than which eighties band would be the most memorable in pop culture. Then again, with Peyton, any conversation dealing with music was serious. She fell asleep while watching _Charade_ with Lucas and didn't wake up again until much later in the day, when the sun was starting to set. Casting aside the blanket that had been laid over her, she walked around the house and found that it was still only Lucas who remained with her. That must have changed at one point throughout the day, because he had obviously left long enough to have showered and dressed in a different t-shirt and cargo khaki combination.

He was bent in concentration over a tattered old copy of _Tom Jones_ and didn't hear Peyton as she joined him on the back screened in porch. "Hey," he said nonchalantly as she sat next to him and pulled her knees up to her chin. "Sleep well?" Peyton nodded but didn't respond audibly. "Some woman called. A Claudia Shepherd. She wanted you to call her back today, if possible."

"She's the owner of the apartment building I'm moving into in New York," Peyton explained. "Have you been here all day?"

"Nah," he answered unconvincingly. He quickly changed the subject so that she wouldn't question his obvious lie. "Hales was here for a long time, but she and Nathan had an obligatory dinner with Deb and Dan. Those are the times I'm thankful that Dan never wanted me as his son."

"Oh Lucas—"

"It's okay," he interrupted. "It's taken a long time, but I think I'm at the point where I realized that it's his problem, not mine."

"You deserve better."

"So do you. I know you don't really want to talk about Jake—"

"I'm just tired of people leaving," she said sadly. His blue eyes met her sad hazel eyes and he realized that was the look that had scared him so much the day before; exhaustion. She had dealt with being left too many times in her short life and Jake had been one abandonment too many.

"They must not know what they're missing," Lucas said playfully, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm going to call Ms. Shepherd—"

"What do you want for dinner?"

"Oh Luke, you don't have to—"

"Actually, I do. I'm pretty hungry. I was just going to let you in on the deal." Peyton laughed, showing one of the first real smiles of the day.

"Luke, why don't you head home—"

"I'm staying," he answered firmly. "Now what do you want to eat?"

"Whatever you're having is fine," she said with a small sigh. She wasn't sure what to do with this new side of Lucas; the side unwilling to leave her. Independence was her first nature, she wasn't used to having someone hang onto her presence so steadfastly. But she quickly accepted that he wasn't going to leave—because she didn't really have much of a choice. They walked back into the house together, she going to her bedroom to use the phone and he heading for the kitchen to investigate the dwindling contents of the pantry.

* * *

The title of this chapter is derived from the Monkees song "I'm a Believer."

"Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer  
Not a trace of doubt in my mind.  
I'm in love, I'm a believer!  
I couldn't leave her if I tried."


	3. We Can Work it Out

Thanks for the reviews – it really helps speed up the inspiration for writing. And it's nice to know that others like the story. Here's the next part… I tried to make it a little longer! Enjoy!

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Chapter 3 We Can Work it Out

Twenty minutes later, when she still hadn't reappeared, Lucas left the meal in the oven and climbed the stairs to check on her. Very rarely had he ever seen Peyton Sawyer cry but now he had witnessed the phenomenon half a dozen times in twenty-four hours.

"Hey, what's going on?" His voice was gentle as he entered the room and sat next to her on the bed. She refused to look at him, focusing instead on her bare feet as she hugged her legs to her chest. "Peyton, did you call that woman back?" She nodded. "What happened?"

"Its just another sign that I obviously shouldn't be going to school. I'm evidently supposed to be stuck in Tree Hill alone forever."

"That's a pretty drastic forecast of the future. What's going on?"

"I no longer have an apartment to go to in New York," she said angrily. "The deal fell through."

"Don't you have a rental agreement?"

"Either party can pull out until August 15, the day the contact goes into effect."

"Did she give a reason?"

"She doesn't have to," Peyton answered.

"You'll find something else."

"I'm supposed to leave in a week, Lucas! How am I going to find something that quickly? It took me and my dad three months just to find this place!" With each word of despair and defeat, her breathing became more shallow and hurried. Lucas moved to her side and rubbed her back in a circular motion, trying to calm her quickly. She was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Peyton, calm down," he ordered in a firm, even voice. "It's going to be fine. We'll figure something out. You need to breathe. Come on," he urged gently. "Deep breaths." Eventually, after Lucas thought that he too had stopped breathing, the quick heart rate slowed and her breathing again approached normal. Her eyes lids closed as she exhaustedly laid down on her side, Lucas still rubbing her back and whispering calming words. "I know it's been a bad day, but you can't do this to yourself," Lucas chided.

Three hours later, well after the sun had set over Tree Hill, Lucas sat with Peyton and his mother in the kitchen. Lucas hadn't known what to do about the apartment situation, so he called the one person in his life who always seemed to know what to do. Karen had made a few dozen phone calls before exhausting her list of possible realtors in New York. With school starting in less than two weeks, all the decent apartments to be had were gobbled up.

Lawrence Sawyer was no longer a stranger to coming home and finding one of the Scott brothers in his home. In fact, it was a pretty rare occurrence to find Peyton alone. "Hi honey. Lucas, Karen." Larry nodded to them as he dropped his bag in the doorway and moved to hug Peyton. "What's everybody doing?" It didn't take long to see that the visit wasn't a friendly or celebratory one; something was plaguing his daughter.

"Dad, we'll talk later—" Peyton started to say, but was interrupted by a well-meaning Karen.

"Peyton lost the lease on her apartment for school."

"What? How did that happen?"

"We're not sure," Karen informed him while ignoring Peyton's protesting glares. If she left it up to the eighteen year old, no one would ever have the chance to help. She would gloss it over and allow her dad to think that she hadn't wanted to leave in the first place. "I spoke to the realtor, and it seems that she has the legal right to revoke the contract at any time before August 15."

"It's the twelfth," Larry said incredulously. Karen nodded, well aware of what an awful stunt had been pulled. "What about the deposit?"

"In the mail," Peyton said softly. "A check should be here in a few days. At least we didn't lose the money."

"I'm not worried about the money sweetie. I just can't believe they can take back the rental agreement after they cashed our check."

"Apparently, it happens all the time," Karen said with a disdainful look. "I have a friend in real estate in New York, and she's looking. But with school beginning any day, it's going to be hard to find somewhere near the school with the same quality amenities and security."

"Security's not negotiable," Larry said firmly. "I don't want you living in a building without a doorman and a security system. It's just not safe." Peyton grumbled, but was inwardly happy for her father's insistence. She wasn't sure how comfortable she would have been in an apartment by herself with no security. Karen nodded; it had been one of the first things she'd looked into when Lucas and Haley had both been offered the scholarships to Columbia.

"School starts in two weeks, you have to find something," Lucas said insistently.

"It's okay daddy," Peyton said. She was obviously attempting to ignore the other two currently in the room. "I'm sure my scholarship is transferable. I can start in January. We'll just keep looking and I'm sure we'll find something by then."

"You're not waiting until January to go to school," Lucas insisted in a voice that made him sound like a little boy whining for candy.

"Luke, it's none of your business," Peyton said coldly.

"It is my business," he countered before either parent could intervene. "You're a friend. And I can't let you stay here and mope about Jake for six months. It's not worth it, Peyton. You're going to regret it if you let yourself fall behind because of him."

"It has nothing to do with Jake!" Her trembling hands betrayed her otherwise cool and vapid exterior. Karen and Larry were both beyond simple curiosity at the subject of Jake and Peyton, but they let it drop after noticing how it was effecting both teens.

"I have an idea," Karen said meekly. All eyes turned to her, except for Peyton's, which were currently fixed on the surface of the kitchen table. She wrung her hands under the table, trying to decide whether or not to broach the solution that had immediately come to her. It wasn't the best of ideas, especially from a parental perspective, but she hated to think of Peyton allowing herself to be stuck in Tree Hill.

Karen knew, all too well, the dangers of allowing dreams to pass you by. "Lucas has been given an extremely spacious apartment—"

"No," Peyton said quickly, earning a glare from Lucas and an exasperated sigh from her father.

"Peyton, listen to what she has to say."

"I think," Karen said slowly, "that it would be foolish to believe that there wouldn't be risks involved with you two living together. But it might also be a good thing."

"We're listening," Lucas said, intrigued by the idea. The thought had occurred to him, but had left as soon as he realized that his mother would never go for the idea. Apparently he had been wrong.

"I don't like the idea of Luke living by himself in a city as large as New York. I like the idea of Peyton doing the same even less."

"Hey! I'm your kid."

"All the same, conservative thought or no, the world is significantly less safe for single women. And the thought of you two at least having one other person to count on in the city would certainly help me sleep at night."

"What about the thought of them sleeping together? How will that help you sleep?"

"Dad!" Peyton was shocked. Her father usually had a much cooler and easy-going temper. Exhaustion from a long trip and surprise at the newfound conundrum left him with thinning nerves.

"Whether we like it or nor," Karen said calmly, "they're adults. And I don't believe they'd betray our trust." She was right, Lucas thought bitterly. After hearing his mother's speech, he wasn't sure he could ever have sex with a clear conscious again. Peyton was having similar thoughts.

"I'm willing to give it a try, if it means Peyton going to school," Lucas said.

"No." It was quieter this time, almost inaudible, but they all heard the authority and stubbornness behind it.

"Peyton, this is your chance to get out of Tree Hill. That's all you've talked about, it the time we've been friends. This is it." Lucas had gotten out of his chair and was crouched in front of hers, imploring with both his words and the expression in his eyes. Having long before lost count of the times she had burst into tears that day, Lucas had developed a sense of when they were coming. He handed her a tissue, causing her to laugh a bit as the tears began. He pulled her into his lap and hugged her, trying to think only of what she needed and not of the parents staring at them in amazement. Over Peyton's curls he looked at her father and said, "it's been one of those days." Haley arrived then to break up the chaos and add a bit more to it. She and Nathan walked through the kitchen door with an ease of someone who lived there and Larry simply shook his head.

"Doesn't anyone knock on our door?" Peyton and Lucas, still hugging, began to laugh. Haley raised her eyebrows at the situation and smiled guiltily at Karen. An hour later, they were in the living room sharing a dinner that Karen whipped up for a 'starving' Larry. Haley and Nathan never ate much at his parents' house as a result of nerves and Lucas and Peyton had forgotten, in all the craziness, to eat anything. The food and accompanying hot chocolate calmed everyone's nerves but no one was quite able to shake the image of Peyton's outburst.

"I think it's a great idea," Nathan said after swallowing a mouthful of rice. "I've been telling you to get a wife for two years now, big brother." Nathan gulped as he realized there were five sets of eyes glaring daggers in his direction. "I'm kidding! No one in this family can ever take a joke." Haley was not alone in realizing that Nathan had just referred to all of them as family but she was the only one to be startled by it. True, at least half of them were, but Nathan obviously already thought of Peyton as part of that whole. She smiled slightly and turned her attention back to the emotion-filled conversation.

* * *

The Beatles song "We Can Work it Out" is the source of this chapter's title. 


	4. Laugh at a Broken Heart

Thanks to LadyPiper1, Rouella, a.k.a.-ashley, Jessica, lysser8312, Melissa, turogirl323, and LucasPeyton4ever for reviewing. It's so nice to know that other people are reading and enjoying this story (and my other OTH story). Here is the next chapter, hope everyone enjoys!

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Chapter 4 Laugh at a Broken Heart

While the Scotts and the Sawyers were attempting to come up with a plan that would enable Peyton to have a place to live while attending school, her best friend was dealing with another nagging problem. Jake answered the door after the first ring of the bell, holding Jenny in his arms. "Nope," Brooke said as she barged in. "No fair. Baby's too cute to be part of this, buster. Put her away."

"She's not a doll, Brooke. I can't put her away!"

"Then put her to sleep or something. Isn't it her bedtime? We have a few things to straighten out." She conveyed the entire conversation thus far with a pleasant voice and a large smile, attempting to not scare the baby. Jenny giggled at her and cooed, obviously enjoying the arrival of a friendly face. Jake shook his head but disappeared down the hallway and returned ten minutes later without his daughter. Brooke had a glare fixed at him as he reentered the living room. "You are so much easier to yell at without a babe in arms."

"Yell away," Jake said as he raised his arms in surrender.

"Where do you get off, dumping Peyton? Is the dating market suddenly large for single dads? Because I thought what you two had meant something. Something that could certainly withstand a few years apart for the sake of school!"

"Are you done?" She couldn't help but notice that Jake's voice was soft and somewhat sad. It certainly took some of the edge from her plan of making him cry; it was going to be far too easy.

"No!" She was indignant. First, he dumps her best friend and then he disarms her plans for attack by appearing remorseful.

"I didn't mean to hurt Peyton," he said softly, sitting on the sofa across from Brooke.

"Didn't mean to hurt her? This should be good," Brooke said with an expression that demanded and explanation.

"You have to promise not to tell her any of this—"

"I don't have to promise anything," Brooke said snidely.

"What if I convince you it's for Peyton's own good?"

"Breaking her heart is suddenly something helpful and full of warm-fuzziness?"

"I didn't want to break up with Peyton, but I had to—"

"Evil aliens take over your ability to make your own decisions?"

"Would you listen?" The outburst startled Brooke and she nodded, waiting for him to continue. Jake sighed and stood up, pacing his living room as he tried to decide where to begin. "I love Peyton, and I love her as a part of my life. But I don't want to be the one standing in the way when she realizes that she doesn't love me the way a woman should love her husband. And that's the road we were on. If I had asked her to marry me yesterday instead of breaking up with her, she probably would have said yes." Brooke nodded slightly, knowing that he was right on target; she had caught Peyton looking at wedding dresses and engagement rings online just a few weeks prior.

"One day, when she realized that she loved Lucas, she would have a choice to make. And I just couldn't put her in a position where she's stuck in a life she doesn't want. She wouldn't voluntarily leave me, not with Jenny in the picture."

"Wow," Brooke said after a few minutes of silence. "So you decided to completely cut the woman you love out of your life so that she could see she was meant to be with one of your best friends?" Her voice was still a bit harsh and sarcastic; Jake nodded sadly. "That is so sweet," Brooke cried as tears sprang to her eyes. Jake shook his head as he walked away, laughing to himself about the amazing transition Brooke could make in front of his very eyes.

The night was wrapping up quickly at Peyton's house as well, no decision having been made but she having promised to at least think about Lucas's offer. He was leaving in two days to begin basketball practices but she still had a week before she needed to get to orientation. Karen and Lucas left first, both hugging Peyton and whispering what they thought to be calming reassurances. Lucas looked like he wanted to stay, but he knew his mom would want him home for his last few nights; if for no other reason than to warn him one last time about the dangers of having sex. He made eye contact with Haley and she nodded slightly, silently offering to keep an eye on Peyton. She sat down on the sofa next to Peyton, fully intending to stay the night and Nathan stood looking at them, wondering if he was ever going to get his wife back. They had been married for two years; he had almost forgotten what it was like to go to sleep alone.

"I'll be okay by myself," Peyton whispered to Haley. "Go home with your husband."

"I'm really not in the mood," Haley whispered back, causing Peyton to burst out laughing.

"I'm really fine."

"And I'd really like to stay and spend time with one of my best friends while I still can." Haley was alluding, not so subtly, to the fact that Peyton could possibly be staying in Tree Hill while the rest of them went away to school. It was only a possibility if she was stubborn enough to refuse Lucas's offer.

"Get out Nathan," Peyton ordered playfully, causing the younger Scott brother to frown. He knew what her words meant; another night alone.

"It's not fair. Guys aren't allowed to have sleepovers. What would you say if I went and stayed at Luke's?"

"Have fun. Enjoy Karen's cooking. Goodnight sweetie." She stood up, hugged him, and kissed him deeply before pushing him away. Nathan shook his head in despair and wished Mr. Sawyer a good night before leaving. Twenty minutes later, the two girls were in their pajamas, under the covers, and avoiding conversation. Peyton tried to sketch while Haley attempted to read a book, but neither girl was successful in her endeavor. Eventually, Haley laid the book aside and decided to be the first to speak.

"You should go."

"Huh?" Peyton hadn't really been focused on the sketch but her mind had been elsewhere, trying to work out reasons why Jake had decided to break up with her when things had been going so well. Then her thoughts veered to Jenny, which made her want to cry. She couldn't imagine not seeing that wonderful, precious little girl again.

"You should take Lucas's offer. Go to New York when you had first planned to go. Otherwise, you might never go."

"Thanks for the confidence," Peyton said dryly.

"Am I wrong?"

"It would be easier—"

"To stay here and hide from the world forever. I know. But it's out there, and you have to follow your dreams. Or you're going to wake up some day and regret it. Besides," she said with a significantly lighter voice, "what in the hell are you going to do in Tree Hill without Brooke and me?" Peyton chuckled a bit, but the air was too thick with tension to afford a genuine smile.

"I don't know, what if it doesn't work?"

"What if what doesn't work?"

"The arrangement. What if Lucas and I get on each other's nerves and suddenly, I'm homeless in the middle of a strange city?" Suddenly, realization struck and Haley knew why Peyton had been avoiding the prospect of sharing an apartment with Lucas.

"First of all," she said calmly, "you and Lucas have never annoyed each other. You just can't seem to ever be on the same path. There's a difference. And secondly," Haley said in a more serious tone, "Lucas is not your one and only lifeline. I can't offer to have you live with us, because Nathan would probably kill me." Peyton laughed and Haley smirked; Nathan was probably going to have many bad thoughts about Peyton that very night for taking Haley from him. He wasn't planning on sharing her for any length of time until they had children who would demand it. "But," she continued seriously. "You always have a place to go. If something does happen, you can always come to us. We're going to be living a few city blocks away."

"I don't know," Peyton said softly. "I just don't know."

"You can't control everything," Haley said suddenly, taking Peyton aback. "Before you argue, listen." Peyton kept her mouth shut, but Haley could see that she didn't like where the conversation was heading. "You have had complete control over your life for longer than most people our age have been able to make their own meals. It's normal to be scared about relinquishing some of that, but it's not like Lucas is an ogre."

"I know. But there are so many 'what ifs.' What if I want to bring a boy home? What if, despite my recent frigidity, I decide to start having sex again? What if Lucas wants to have sex? What if Lucas wants to have a relationship? What if he wants to have a relationship with me? What does he want from me?" The last questions brought with it a new bought of tears; this time from both girls.

"Hales, you really suck at this whole 'cheering Peyton up' deal," Brooke said as she entered the room a few minutes later. Haley simply shook her head; she wasn't gong to deny that she only seemed to dig up more problems, not help with the ones currently on hand.

"Brooke, I'm fine," Peyton argued as she wiped her red, puffy eyes.

"Oh, really? Cause you look like hell to me."

"Thanks," Peyton returned dryly. "Where have you been all day?"

"Why? Did the saintly Scotts leave you alone?"

"No," Peyton said with a small smile. "It's just not like you."

"I figured you were going to be weepy. And I just can't deal with that today," Brooke said with a nonchalant shrug. "It's very unlike you. I'm afraid tutor girl here has sucked out some of your coolness to raise her own level in teenage society."

"High school's over Brooke. It's a whole new ballgame," Haley said with a smirk.

"That's what scares me," Brooke returned with a sad expression that quickly disappeared. "But it's not acceptable for you to mope any longer, P. Sawyer. So get over it."

"We have new problems," Haley said in almost a whisper.

"What is this? Did you break a mirror that we don't know about?" Peyton shook her head, dabbing at more tears. "What is it now, friend?"

"No apartment," Peyton answered simply.

"She lost her lease agreement for the apartment in New York and they can't find another non-hovel like place. So Lucas offered to share his apartment. But she doesn't want to do it."

"Afraid you can't keep the libido on a leash?"

"Not exactly the way I would have put it," Peyton answered dryly.

"But I'm right, aren't I?" Peyton didn't answer, Brooke knew her well. Rekindling old feelings was only one of the many problematic instances, but it was the one currently weighing most heavily on Peyton's already stressed mind.

"She's thinking of postponing school."

"Well, that's stupid," Brooke said incredulously. "And that's not going to happen. You're not missing your chance out, Peyton. Lucas is a good boy; he'll keep his hands to himself as long as you do. You're just going to have to put aside all your commitment issues and let him help you."

"What if I don't want help?"

"You can't do everything alone," Haley answered softly. "Some time or another, you're going to have to ask for help. What would you do if, five years down the road, Nathan lost his job and we needed somewhere to stay?"

"Recommend a good hotel," Peyton said quickly, earning an elbow in the side from Haley. "Alright, fine. I'd find out how I could help."

"And then?"

"I'd do whatever I could to help you guys. Because you're my friends."

"And you are Luke's friend," Haley stated firmly. "You don't give yourself enough credit. We need you around just as much as you need us. It will make a difference, having you in New York instead of leaving you here. And I don't like the idea of going to the city without my best friend." Brooke remained silent because of the power of the moment, but she was dying to protest because she had not been included in the best friend clause.

"I'll call him in the morning," Peyton answered softly.

"Call him now," Haley said, picking up the telephone. "He's awake." She dialed the phone and waited for Lucas to answer before handing the cordless to Peyton. "Your ball," she whispered before pulling Brooke out of the room.

* * *

The title of this chapter comes from Amy Grant's "I Will Be Your Friend:"

"When every moment gets too hard  
And though the road can feel so far  
No matter how much time we're apart  
I'm always near you  
I'll be the shelter in your rain  
Help you to find your smile again  
I'll make you laugh at a broken heart  
Wherever you are"


	5. Stand By You

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews – it really means a lot to me, knowing what everyone thinks of the story so far. Here's the next part – I know it's short, but the next part should follow closely.. For those of you reading my other OTH story "Happy Families are All Alike," it should be updated in the next day or two. Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think!

* * *

Chapter 5 Stand By You

"Hello?" Lucas was confused by the silence on the other line. It came up on his caller ID as Peyton's home number, but no one was answering. "Hello? Peyton?"

"Luke?" Her voice was rough from all the tears she had expelled that day, but he recognized it immediately.

"You should know, you're the one who called," he answered jokingly.

"It was Haley," she answered.

"Oh," he said uncomfortably, his hope deflating a bit. "Hales still there?" Peyton shook her head and then realized that he couldn't see her.

"No, she left the room. I don't know where she went," she said as she looked around her empty bedroom.

"Did you want to talk?"

"Yes." Lucas grimaced, wondering if the conversation was ever going to get easier than pulling teeth.

"Do you want me to come over?"

"I think so."

"When I get all the way over there, you promise to be decisive and actually let me in?"

"Yeah," she answered with a genuine smile that he could hear in her slight change of tone.

"See you in a few."

"Okay." She hung up the telephone and looked into the mirror next to her computer; she looked awful. Quickly jumping out of bed, she found a prettier pair of pajama pants and a matching tank top and then began work on her untidy curls. She was applying cover-up and lipstick when Brooke and Haley barged back in a few minutes later. They were confused by the scene, but quickly gathered that Lucas was on his way.

"Does this mean you want us to go home?" Brooke asked with eyes squinted, pointing to the door. Peyton looked at them both, smiled a funny smile, and nodded. "Come on, tutor girl, I'll give you a ride." They both wished her well and made her promise to call the next day with a divulgence of all details.

A mere ten minutes following the conversation, Lucas appeared in her bedroom, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his sweatshirt. "Hey," he said softly. "Your dad let me in. What a night to come home." Peyton simply nodded, uncharacteristically holding a pillow in front of her instead of a sketchbook. "What's the verdict?"

"It's not you I'm worried about, you know that, right?" It was probably the longest string of calm words she had spoken to him all day. He nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed, facing her with his back against one of the posts. "It's too much—" she said with a frown as she tried to work the emotions out in her own head. "There are all these things, going wrong. What if it means that I'm not supposed to leave?"

"I never knew you were superstitious," Lucas said with an amused chuckle.

"I'm not, usually," she said softly as she commenced picking at the beaded fringe of the dark purple pillow.

"Peyton, I don't believe that you are meant to stay here in Tree Hill and work some menial job for the rest of your life. I just can't believe that. You're different from the people who never leave this town – and I can't imagine you being happy never seeing what else is out there."

"This is safe."

"Yeah." Lucas nodded as he looked around the room; it's recently turned-green walls hung with strange, abstract landscapes that she had painted herself and with beautiful but bizarre frames filled with pictures of so many family members and friends. She had it her own way in Tree Hill, the popularity and the obscurity; and now she was afraid to lose herself in a much bigger world. The loss of the apartment had given her the opportunity to sit back and watch the rest of the world move on without her. Lucas couldn't allow that to happen.

"It is safe here. But it's also safe here." With those words, he had taken her hand and placed it over his heart. "Peyton, we all love you. And we're not leaving you behind, no matter how hard you push. If that means dragging you on a train and forcibly moving you to New York, I think I can deal with that." She raised her eyebrows, wondering if he realized what a scene he had just created in her imagination. They were silent for quite a while, Peyton trying to decide what to think after his speech and Lucas not wanting to rush her.

"I'm going to need my own place. So this deal would just be temporary, until I could find a suitable apartment of my own—" The room grew silent and she closed her eyes, wishing the long day would simply end; she didn't think she could remember all the things that had happened if she tried.

"If that's what you want," he finally assented. "I'll help you look."

"Okay," she said with a hopeful smile.

"Okay."

* * *

The Pretender's "I'll Stand by You" supplied the title to this chapter.

"Oh, why you look so sad? Tears are in your eyes  
Come on and come to me now.  
Don't be ashamed to cry, let me see you through  
Cause I've seen the dark side too.  
When the night falls on you, you don't know what to do,  
Nothing you confess could make me love you less  
I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you, won't let nobody hurt you,  
I'll stand by you."


	6. Need Somebody

Chapter 6 Need Somebody

Two days later, Peyton stood with her father at the train station as they watched Karen, Lucas, Deb, and Nathan load their luggage out of two cars. Peyton drew in a breath as she watched two of her own trunks, filled to the breaking point, get handed down to the two brothers. The three remaining in the station quickly went about their business; Haley and Peyton still needed to pack their own things to leave in a few short days. Seeing her room striped of most its value and memories depressed her, but she didn't have time to allow those feelings to drag her down. Brooke was leaving the day before the two of them and she planned to get in every last bit of fun the summer could offer.

By the time she sat uneasily on the train among her father, Haley, and a returning Karen, her nerves had returned in full force. She attempted to sketch, but Haley was watching her much too closely and it blocked her usual creative outlet. Arriving at the station in New York for the first time was nothing the two young girls had ever experienced. Haley probably would have been pulled down by the crowd if Karen hadn't been at her side, paying close attention as they tried to retrieve their luggage. The plan had been to go to Haley's apartment first, but realizing Peyton's nerves, the adults decided to first let her get settled. The cab left them right at the front door to a beautiful apartment complex and the doorman inside allowed them, after showing proper identification, to get onto the elevator and go up to her floor. Thirteen. She was seething. She didn't think buildings were supposed to have thirteenth floors. Karen led them straight to the apartment, not giving her much time to panic. Lucas threw open the door and hugged them all, save Mr. Sawyer, and then ushered them into the very spacious living area.

There was a kitchen to their right, a hallway behind that, and the living room and dining area to their left. Peyton was a bit suspicious when she noticed that the full sized, not queen sized, bed in the far living room corner was covered in sheets and comforters not her own. In fact, they appeared to be Lucas's. They looked around and Lucas quickly showed her the bedroom, which confirmed her suspicions.

"Lucas, I'm not taking the bedroom."

"It's gonna get a little crowded in the other room then," he said with a furrowed brow and look of complete innocence.

"I'm not going to be here long, and it's your apartment."

"Then I would suppose I reserve the right to sleep wherever I choose—"

"Lucas!"

"It's all for selfish reasons. You know how practices run. Early mornings to late nights. And I really don't like waking you up – it's not a pretty picture." She bit her lip and then sighed, not sure what else to do about the situation; she certainly couldn't argue with such an extremely valid point.

"Luke, where's the bathroom? I hope you already installed your own toilet seat, because you just don't know who's been in here.' Peyton smiled after Haley as she dragged Lucas out of the room, prattling on about the dangers of an unclean living space. Haley was always good for an impromptu lecture when someone needed a distraction. Larry followed the two, also wanting to inspect the entire apartment in which his baby girl would be residing.

"It's nice," Karen said with a soft, friendly smile as she looked around the room. Peyton nodded, still standing in the middle of the boxes and bags that had been shipped ahead of her. The walls were newly painted in a uniform eggshell color but the rental agreement stated that the walls could be further painted. Not that Peyton planned on staying long, but she imagined Luke would prefer just about anything besides eggshell; she certainly would. She laid her bag down on the bed, already made up with her soft cotton sheets and deep purple bedspread, and walked to the bare window. There was an old mini-blind, but nothing else separated them from a view of the hustle and bustle of the city.

"You'll need curtains," Karen said with a laugh. "I tried to buy them last week, but Luke was indecisive about type and color, and it's his first apartment – I didn't want to push him into anything." She walked to the window and stood next to Peyton, looking out into the foreign environment. "Not exactly something you'd see in Tree Hill."

"Definitely not," Peyton agreed with a far away, detached look in her eyes.

"Different isn't always bad," Karen said as she turned to the younger girl. "Takes some getting used to, but sometimes a change is worth it in the end. I think you're all doing the right thing."

"I hope so," Peyton said with a smile. She turned to her bags and began looking through them, trying to decide where to start with the unpacking process. She was the type completely unable to function until she had a place for everything. They all noticed that she was doing an awful lot of thinking for what she claimed was temporary organization. A major problem that became immediately evident was the lack of closet space. One of the two chestnut dressers was stuffed with Lucas's clothing while the other larger piece was at her disposal. The closet space was minimal, already a third filled with the two suits, two dress shirts, and three pairs of slacks Lucas owned.

Karen and Haley, after making certain the kitchen was stocked with every important gadget and being assured that Lucas knew how to use them, found her sitting in the middle of the bedroom floor, staring at the closet. "It's not going to get any bigger that way," Haley informed her with a laugh. "You've spent too many years shopping with Brooke the clothes horse." After a bit of finagling, there was only one box of clothing that Larry had to take back to Tree Hill. It took the whole lot of them almost ten minutes to reassure Peyton that she wouldn't be needing her ski suit, more than two bathing suits, more than five black skirts, or more than twenty pairs of shoes.

Peyton and Lucas stayed to finish setting up while the rest of the party trouped over to the other Scott apartment to see what damage Nathan had been able to do in a week. After dinner at a nice restaurant late that night, Karen and Larry had to leave for the train station. They had a long trip ahead, but it seemed silly to pay for a hotel when they would have still had to wake up in four hours for the morning train.

The four eighteen year olds stood silently and watched as their last two ties to childhood stepped onto the train platform and, ten minutes later, were gone. Peyton was especially quiet, fearing any conversation might cause tears to flow. She hated the feeling; she had never before been one to cry but ever since the breakup with Jake, she found herself sobbing over the silliest of things. Not that her father leaving her in the middle of a bustling metropolis was a trivial matter. She followed silently behind as Nathan and Haley walked, arm in arm, back out to the street and toward the subway station. Apparently, in his first week in the city, Nathan had spent his time figuring out how the public transportation system worked and he was busy explaining his vast knowledge to the three of them, of whom only Haley was listening. As they stepped on the subway, Peyton was pulled out of her self-pitying daze when she felt a tug on her arm. She turned around just in time to see Lucas throw a creepy-looking man away from her. The man fled before Lucas could have the satisfaction of punching him. Instead, he hurried back into the train, getting his foot in just as the door began to close.

Haley was calming a startled Peyton while Nathan stood in front of their seat, blocking them from the view of nosy onlookers. Lucas stood next to his brother; trying not to look at the shadow of the girl he had fallen in love with so long ago. He would have bet any amount of money that Peyton didn't truly love Jake, so why was she allowing the breakup tear her to pieces? Two and a half weeks prior, she would never have taken such a situation quietly.

"You guys going to be okay?" Haley asked as Nathan told her they were approaching their stop. Peyton nodded and Lucas attempted a smile, indicating that she shouldn't worry. They were only one stop from Haley and Nathan, but Lucas was paying too much attention to Peyton and they missed their stop.

"That was us," he said dejectedly as the train started up again.

"It's okay. We can walk," she said calmly. They got off at the next stop and once they were on the street level, Lucas put his arm around her shoulder, positioning himself so that her purse was between the two of them. Peyton, like most women he knew, carried her life around in her purse; she was going to have to be more careful.

"It's not like Tree Hill," he said quietly. "But I think I'm starting to like it."

"Have you talked to Jake recently?"

"No," Lucas said firmly. "I didn't think I should punch him out in front of his daughter, so I steered clear until I left."

"He didn't really do anything wrong," she protested.

"Breaking your heart isn't blame-free. I should know."

"You're pretty damn full of yourself," she said with a goading smile. "How do you know you ever broke my heart?" Lucas decided the safest answer was no answer at all. Instead, he started tickling her.

"No!" She jumped away, laughing. "Don't you dare!" He was still coming after her, grinning mischievously. "Lucas Scott! You stay away from me!" They raced the rest of the way to the door, Lucas stopping long enough to wave at the doorman, who smiled as he watched the two fall, laughing, onto the elevator. Peyton was still out of breath by the time they reached their floor and Lucas teased her about being out of shape without cheerleading the last year.

"You should consider going out for the school squad," he suggested as he unlocked the door.

"Because I just _loved_ cheerleading," she said with a dry laugh.

"They don't call it a cheerleading squad here," he said thoughtfully as he moved into the kitchen. He took two glasses out of a cupboard and pulled out the pitcher of iced tea, planning to pour it.

"No caffeine," Peyton said from the doorway, causing him to go back to the refrigerator for the apple juice. He handed her the glass and poured his own iced tea before making his way into the living room, which she noticed already looked comfortable and lived in. "Thank you. And by the way, a dance team or dance line is the same thing as a cheerleading squad."

"Oh. It was just an idea. What are you going to do here?"

"Go to school," Peyton said with an astonished laugh. She hadn't put much thought into extracurriculars yet. After the panic she had felt over moving in the first place, she wanted to make sure she could handle classes before committing to anything else.

* * *

The title stems from the Beatles song "With a Little Help From My Friends" 


	7. It's 3am

Here's the next chapter – I hope you enjoy. My intent with this story was to include more Haley and Nathan, but it hasn't gotten there yet. Sorry to those who are missing it right now… they will be more involved soon. Right now though, the focus is Lucas and Peyton. Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!

* * *

Chapter 7 It's 3am

Befitting of the mood surrounding the rest of the day, a torrential downpour began just as she turned off the bedside lamp. Having left home before sunrise, she should have been tired by midnight. Unfortunately her mind was still swimming with the events of the past day and week. Doubts of possible success, fears of the coming future, and a dull aching need for familiarity kept her awake, tossing and turning, well into the night. Lights from the city broke through the ill-fitted slats in the ineffective blinds and cast eerie shadows across the unfamiliar room. Headphones did little to block out the sounds of the surrounding city, no matter what type of music she tried.

It was nearly three in the morning when she gave up any hope of sleep and crept quietly into the kitchen in search of something warm. Turning on only the light above the stove, she fished a mug out of the cupboard and filled it with water. She was moving to put it in the microwave when a voice stopped her.

"I can't let you make cocoa that way," Lucas said in a tired voice. Not imagining that he would be awake, she was startled enough that she dropped the mug, causing water to cascade across the kitchen floor and the porcelain mug to shatter.

"Sorry," he said as he jumped out of bed to help with the mess. He slipped his feet into a pair of tennis shoes before approaching the mess and noticed that she was standing in the middle of the puddle with bare feet. "Come here," he said gently, reaching for her hand. Too tired to argue, she allowed him to practically carry her back into the living room and set her on his bed. Once he had cleaned the mess and put milk in a kettle to warm over the stove, he joined her in the still-dark living room.

"I didn't mean to wake you up," she said apologetically as she tiredly rubbed her face.

"I wasn't sleeping. Sorry I scared you." He had been listening to her toss and turn all night and hadn't been able to will himself to sleep knowing that she was having such a rough time. "Can't sleep?"

"Oh no," Peyton said in a sarcastic tone. "This is a pretty normal snack time for me."

"That's going to make for hard morning classes."

"I can't sleep in strange places. I'll get used to it eventually."

"What about hotels?"

"I've only ever stayed in one. That motel we stayed at—"

"That's it?" She nodded.

"My dad and I only ever go to my grandparents' house. And we stay with them."

"My mom and I used to go on vacation at least once a year. It was usually small and low-budget, but she always liked to get away for a few days."

"It's always good to get away." The teakettle went off and Lucas jumped up to get it, leaving her alone in the living room. By the time he returned, she had worked her way up to the headboard, so that she had something to lean against. He handed her one mug of steaming hot cocoa and set the other one on his nightstand before settling himself under the covers. Pulling the blue fleece blanket from the foot of the bed, he draped it over her, ignoring all assurances that she was fine.

"What are you going to do when it actually gets cold outside?"

"I don't know," Lucas answered honestly. "I don't think I'm looking forward to a New York winter." Peyton shook her head in agreement, taking a sip of her cocoa.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

"What time is it?"

"After three," Lucas said after consulting the clock on his other side. "It's a good thing I don't have practice later today. Or Nathan would kick my ass. He keeps saying he's better than me, I can't give him the chance to actually prove it."

"I don't think you two should ever compete. Being on the same team is the only safe bet," she said with a small smile. The hot cocoa was gone, the empty mugs placed on the nightstand, and Peyton's eyelids were finally beginning to droop. Curled up on one side, her breathing eventually evened out and he knew she had finally fallen asleep. Lucas laid her head on one of his pillows and pulled the covers over them both before turning out the light.

Neither woke the next morning by their own choice. Lucas was dragged out of a sound slumber by the sound of banging and it took him a few minutes to realize that someone was at the apartment door. Rubbing his eyes to get rid of the blurriness, he shuffled to the door in his t-shirt and boxer shorts. Haley was in the middle of another knock when he opened the door, causing her to almost hit him.

"Good morning to you too," he said tiredly.

"It's afternoon," Haley informed him. "What have you been doing? We've been trying to call both of you all morning!"

"Haley, quiet," he said urgently, looking over his shoulder to ensure that Peyton was still sleeping. Haley's eyes fell upon the blond in his bed and she turned a glare immediately on her best friend.

"Didn't take you long," she hissed in a whisper. "Are you sure about this?"

"It's not what you think," he answered in a whisper. "It was a bad night. She slept there, nothing else. Personally, I'd rather not wake her up, so can we have this conversation later?" Haley conceded, but not without making him promise that they would all meet at her apartment for dinner that night. Lucas was showered, dressed, and cooking a quick lunch by the time Peyton finally opened her eyes. She yawned, stretching and rolling around several times before she realized where she was. As soon as she did, she shot up into a sitting position and looked around.

Slowly remembering how she had ended up in his bed, she turned a light shade of red. Gathering every bit or resolve she had left from her days as the popular cheerleader type; she tiptoed down the hall and into the bathroom. Although Lucas didn't see her, he heard the bathroom door close and knew she was awake. She refused to talk about anything more daunting than the weather for the rest of the day, but he thought that might be for the best. By the time they arrived at his brother's apartment for dinner at six, they were both exhausted from the effort of avoiding one another.

* * *

The title is taken from the lyrics to Matchbox 20's _3am._


	8. Learn to Fly

Here is the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who read and replied to the last chapter! It really is appreciated – and I'm happy you all like the story and its direction. The next chapter is a little longer because it's mostly fluff. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8 Learn to Fly

The beginning of their Freshman year of college was shocking to every last one of them, but even more so to the boys. Between basketball practice, schoolwork, and classes, Lucas was surprised he had time to eat. He had only seen Peyton at night the first week and hadn't laid eyes on Haley at all. Peyton seemed happy and cheerful, as happy and cheerful as Peyton ever seemed, during the day. Something about the night brought her insecurities back and caused her to toss and turn until either she crawled into his bed or he came into hers. After two weeks of getting approximately three hours of sleep a night, Lucas decided that there had to be some sort of solution. He had already noticed that Peyton had cut caffeine from her diet after lunch time, but that didn't seem to be helping the sleep problem.

Friday was a game day and Lucas was determined to get a full night of sleep beforehand. After finishing a paper for one of his English classes, he turned off his computer and made sure the security system was set. Turning out all of the lights in the living room and kitchen, he went into the bedroom with his book. He pulled back the heavy purple comforter and climbed in between the soft sheets on the right side of the queen-sized bed before flipping open _Oroonoko_.

Peyton, who was talking to Brooke using the web cam, turned around to look at him suspiciously. "Lucas, what are you doing?"

"Getting ready for bed," he said nonchalantly, not looking up from his book.

"In my bed?"

"You sure you want Brooke privy to this conversation?" Peyton glared at him but did turn back to the computer and log off with an extremely irritated Brooke. Turning off the computer and her desk light, Peyton marched over to the bed and stood on the left side, looking at Lucas as though he were an offending bed bug. She knew as well as he did that they would end up next to one another, but admitting to it before three in the morning seemed too invasive to her preferred reality. Sensing her irritability, he set his book aside and looked up at her with an expression of calm rationality. "I'm not moving. It's stupid. We're not doing anything wrong, so why don't we just start out the night this way? I need sleep, you need sleep. We need an arrangement that's going to accomplish that nightly."

"I just need to get used—"

"I'm not asking for an excuse. I'm just asking for you to admit that you need someone. Maybe even that you need me." Peyton didn't answer; she couldn't without crying. Instead, she crawled under the covers and curled up next to him, her head lying on his chest. Lucas turned out the light, scooted himself into a position more conducive to sleeping, and then chastely dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

"Good night."

"G'night," she mumbled. Two weeks later, she stopped looking for an apartment altogether; not that she had been whole-heartedly looking before. She and Haley had visited quite a few that would have passed muster, but they were all missing one thing. A tall, blond, literary-minded basketball player. The apartment itself slowly morphed into a place that looked like a home. Lucas was amused every time he returned to find another piece of well-suited art hanging on a wall or perched on a shelf. Despite all the denial she voiced, Peyton had a flair for making a living space feel like a home.

Three weeks into the school year, Peyton and Haley were sitting at a basketball game, watching the team warm up, when they realized that they hadn't made any extenuating friends. A girl squealed and ran to her friends in front of them, and they simply looked at each other and raised their eyebrows; they were much cooler, lower key basketball watchers. Surprisingly for freshman, Lucas and Nathan played almost the entire game, with only a few minutes out when Lucas had a close call with his ankle. Peyton and Haley both watched in horror as he fell and neither spoke nor took a breath until he stood up and walked on it, obviously not terribly injured.

"I can't imagine if they played something really dangerous," Haley said after they knew he was all right.

"We wouldn't be able to watch," Peyton answered. "Are you feeling alright?" She had noticed that Haley looked paler than usual and now she was flushed, all of her skin turned a blotchy pink color.

"Yeah," Haley said, giving her friend a strange look. "Why do you ask?"

"You don't look so great."

"Thanks," Haley said with an incredulous laugh.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way, but a feverish way. You're all flushed." Haley put her hand to her cheek and realized that she was warm, but that could be a result of the chill in the gymnasium; she told Peyton as much. Peyton relented her questioning and went back to watching the game. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I have to meet with my group for Bio. We have a project due Tuesday," Haley answered. "How about you?"

"I don't know. I have homework. But not too much."

"You can have some of mine," Haley offered with a mischievous smile.

"That's alright," Peyton answered. "You don't want me doing your homework. It wouldn't be a credit to you."

"I'm sure you're wrong, but I guess I'll do it all myself. Have you heard from Brooke lately?"

"Yeah, she called last night around dinner time. Sounds like she's feeling left out, with all of us being here while she's in North Carolina."

"She could have applied to schools in New York," Haley said defiantly. They had the argument many times the year before when Brooke found out they had all been accepted to Columbia. Nathan probably wouldn't have been without his basketball talent, but the rest of them had worked hard to keep their grades up and make sure they were eligible for schools to the caliber of Columbia. Brooke had ignored their warnings, especially Haley's, over the years and slacked off in her classes. Getting into an out-of-state school, let alone a private school, had been out of the question with her GPA.

"I know," Peyton said sadly. "But I can imagine it being lonely. It's bad enough having to be away from your friends, but if they're all together, it would be worse."

"We should invite her up for the thanksgiving break."

"You're not going home?"

"Nope," Haley said with a shake of her head. "I was talking to Karen last night and she and your dad were thinking it would be fun to have Thanksgiving here. A new place."

"In other words, they want to see the parade first hand," Peyton said with a laugh.

"I think so. And I think Karen just wants to do something different for once. It was always her and Luke and Keith. And then it was her and Luke. My family won't miss me, and I don't want to drag Nathan away. He's really starting to feel like he belongs to a family with you and Luke around."

"Well, if my dad's coming here, I guess I'm staying. I'll call Brooke tonight and ask her."

"Sounds good," Haley agreed. "By the way, we're having it at your apartment."

"Why at ours?"

"Yours has a bigger table and it looks nicer,' Haley answered.

"Your apartment is nice," Peyton said with a surprised laugh.

"And yet yours is actually decorated. It has an artists touch," Haley informed her. "Oh, get over it. It doesn't mean you have to do dishes. Nathan and Lucas have that detail."

"That'll be something to see," Peyton said with a laugh.

"Yeah." They were fairly quiet for the rest of the game and waited in the bleachers after the other fans had left. Fifteen or so minutes after the game ended, Lucas and Nathan came back into the gym in regular clothes, with their bags slung on the shoulders. Peyton clapped and whistled when they came out, cheering for their win. Lucas stopped to playfully bow in the middle of the floor before approaching them. Peyton stood up to meet them and Haley attempted to join her. She was standing for less than a few seconds before she fell back down, luckily being caught by Peyton. Nathan got to them in three strides and picked Haley up into his arms.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," Haley said stubbornly, fighting out of his hold once the original weakness subsided.

"Fainting is fine?"

"I didn't faint. I'm still conscious."

"Haley—"

"Can we just go home?" Her question, posed so softly, won Nathan over. He nodded and put her down but kept an arm around her waist as they walked toward the door. Lucas and Peyton were both concerned, but they couldn't make a deal out of something that Haley obviously wasn't concerned with.

"You still want to grab dinner?" Lucas asked Peyton as they followed the old married couple out of the gym.

"Sure."

"Hey Nate, we're gonna grab a bite. You want us to bring you guys something?"

"I think we're alright," Nathan answered. "See you tomorrow."

"Feel better Hales," Peyton called after then.

"I'm fine!" Haley insisted.

"What's tomorrow?" Peyton asked as they walked along the busy sidewalks and towards an area with more restaurants.

"All day practice," Lucas said defeated. "We won, and we still have to practice all day. I was hoping to get a paper done that's due next week."

"That's too bad."

"Yeah. What are you doing?"

"Apparently spending the day trying to amuse myself. Haley has a group meeting for one of her classes so I'm on my own."

"What was up with her tonight? She looks awful."

"I know. But she said before that she felt fine."

"Haley will tell you that until she's blue in the face," Lucas commented. "When she was little, she used to try to hide her colds and things so her mom wouldn't keep her home from school."

"That's pretty twisted. The rest of us spent time trying to act sick to get out of school."

"Yeah," Lucas agreed with a laugh. Their waiter returned with their drinks; a soda for Lucas and juice for Peyton.

* * *

The title for this chapter is from the Beatles' "Blackbird:"

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night  
Take these broken wings and learn to fly.  
All your life  
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.  
Blackbird singing in the dead of night  
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see.  
All your life  
You were only waiting for this moment to be free."

* * *

Also – those of you who are reading my other story "Happy Families are All Alike—" I do plan on updating that _soon_. Sorry it's taking so long, but I'm stuck at a particular point. But I should have it up sometime this week. Thanks for reading! 


	9. Sleepless Days

Chapter 9 Sleepless Days 

At barely six the next morning, the phone rang while Lucas was in the bathroom getting ready for practice. He bolted out of the small room to grab the phone but it had already woken Peyton, who was beginning to stir.

"Hello," she demanded grumpily. "What do you want Nathan?" Her voice was gruff from sleep and complemented by a bit of anger and some whining. Lucas took the phone from her and greeted his brother.

"What's up?"

"Hey Luke. Sorry about the early call. I'm just not sure what to do." Nathan sounded concerned and that worried his older brother because he knew there was only one thing Nathan worried about; Haley. "Haley's coming down with something. She wasn't feeling great last night and she's worse this morning. There's a fever and everything. I don't want to leave her here by herself."

"Coach will bench you for a week for missing practice," Lucas said.

"I know, but I don't know what else to do."

"I'll talk to Peyton."

"Talk to Peyton about what?" She was sitting up in bed, looking awfully grumpy after being awoken. Lucas put his hand over the mouthpiece and spoke to her, allowing Nathan to only hear the murmur of voices.

"Hales isn't feeling well and Nathan doesn't want to leave her by herself all day."

"I'll be over in a few minutes," Peyton said wearily. "But I'm going back to sleep when I get there."

"Fair enough," Lucas said with a smirk, knowing she would never be able to fall back to sleep once she got dressed and ready. The two of them walked the short distance to Nathan and Haley's apartment in an understood silence. Peyton was grumpy and if Lucas didn't want his head bitten off, it was in his best interest to remain quiet.

Nathan was ready when they arrived and thanked Peyton for helping, to which she waved him off and kicked them both out of the apartment before locking the door. Wandering down the hall, she stuck her head into their bedroom and noticed that Nathan had placed a heavy comforter over Haley; not something helpful when a person had a fever. Peyton gently folded it down and replaced it with a thinner sheet. The other girl was obviously burning up; her cheeks red and her forehead gathering beads of sweat. Peyton bit her lip, trying to think about what her father had done when she'd had a fever. It was difficult; she had rarely been sick as a child.

"Peyton?"

"Hey," she said with a smile as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"What are you doing here?"

"Nate had to go to practice. He won't be gone long," she lied. Haley seemed delirious enough not to know the difference, so she thought she might get away with stretching the truth.

"You didn't have to come," Haley said drowsily, her eyes closing again. "You have other stuff to do."

"Let's not kid ourselves," Peyton said gently. "Now get some sleep. I can't deal with the Scott brothers on my own so you have to get better."

"Don't worry," Haley said weakly.

"And still I do," Peyton said lightly. "Did you take anything?" Haley shook her head sleepily, her eyes still closed. "Alright. I'll see what I can find." Twenty minutes later, after Haley had taken Tylenol and fallen back asleep, Peyton wandered into the living room. It surprisingly wasn't as homey as her and Luke's apartment, but that was probably because the two of them had never experienced the same type of home. Haley and Nathan were both left alone quite often, despite her large family, and their houses were houses, not quite homes. Even though Peyton's father was away for work quite a bit once she started high school, she always felt of her home as her safe haven. That was what her apartment was becoming as well.

Realizing there was nothing worth watching on the television, Peyton picked up her book bag and sat down at Nathan's computer, planning to get some of her homework finished. There was a paper she needed to write for intro to Art History, comparing different versions of _Madonna of the Rocks_. Sighing, she opened a word document and began typing. She was writing the conclusion two hours later when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Peyton. How's Hales?"

"Still sleeping," Peyton said as she stood up and stretched. She peeked into the bedroom to see that Haley was, indeed, still asleep. Slumber in this instance had nothing to do with rest since the girl was tossing and turning, looking incredibly uncomfortable as a result of the fever. "You guys on break?"

"Yeah," Nathan said with a sigh. "Not long enough to get home though."

"We're fine. Don't worry about us."

"That's for doing this—"

"Could you stop thanking me?" Peyton interrupted. "Haley's my friend too."

"Yeah, I know. You're a good friend."

"Surprisingly, you're a good husband."

"Thanks," he said dryly. "Hey, gotta go. Coach said ten minutes. Twelve minute ago."

"Okay, see you later." Peyton hung up the telephone and sat on the edge of the bed, feeling Haley's forehead and frowning; she actually seemed warmer now. She left to get the thermometer from the bathroom and when she returned, Haley was attempting to sit up in bed.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Haley attempted to answer, but as soon as she drew a breath, she began to cough. It didn't last long, but it was so deep that it sounded like a bark. It was evidently a painful cough. "It take that as a 'not too hot,'" Peyton joked lightly as she sat down across from Haley with the thermometer. Haley glared as hard as she could with the blaring headache, but reluctantly put the thermometer in her mouth. "Sure," Peyton said flippantly. "Glare at the one with the pills. Not your best idea."

"You're enjoying this way too much," Haley said with a groan.

"Yeah," Peyton agreed with a nod. "It's not often you look worse than me."

"Thanks," Haley said dryly.

"Anytime. Wow," Peyton said in half surprise, half concern. "You don't do anything half way. Even your fevers are top of the scale."

"High?"

"103 is pretty high," Peyton answered with playfully stern look, "let's try to be a little less ambitious next time, alright?"

"Whatever you say," Haley mumbled tiredly. She curled up again under the covers and closed her eyes but switched positions right away, not seeming to find anything comfortable.

"Can I get you anything?" Haley shook her head. She began to cough once more, each bought shaking her tiny frame a bit more than the last. After an entire day of cough medicine, Tylenol, and Motrin, Haley seemed to be getting worse by the minute. Following a quick lunch, Peyton actually stopped leaving the bedroom because she was worried every time she left that Haley's labored and raspy breathing might stop altogether. She was getting worried enough to call for help but she wasn't sure where to turn. If she called Karen or her father, it would alarm everyone in Tree Hill and that wouldn't be helpful. Lucas and Nathan wouldn't know anymore than she did.

She settled eventually for calling the student health center. If they had advice, she could take it or leave it; it was at least a place to start. After sitting on hold for fifteen minutes, she was finally put on the line with a nurse. She was startled when, immediately following the explanation of Haley's symptoms, the nurse urged her to take Haley to the hospital. Not the doctor's office or the health center; the hospital. Now.

Peyton hung up the phone and looked at Haley, who was still tossing around in a light sleep bothered by coughing and the heat from her fever. "Hales," she said gently as she tried to nudge her friend awake. "Come on sweetie, wake up." After a few minutes, Haley's brown eyes did flutter open and she seemed to recognize Peyton, but didn't say a word. It took quite a bit of effort, but Peyton eventually got Haley dressed and ready to go. Walking with her to the hospital was going to be a bit more of a challenge. She knew the hospital that they were covered under with the school's health insurance, but it was at least a ten-minute walk. Deciding there was no other choice, she realized they would have to take a cab and worry about the cost later.

Once inside the emergency room, Peyton realized that they had a long wait ahead of them. She sat in one of the hard plastic chairs, Haley leaning against her, for almost an hour before they were called. Inside a private little cubical, they waited for another half an hour before a doctor came in and asked what the problem was. Haley coughed once and he required no more explanation.

"A little early for pneumonia," he said casually after asking her to take a deep breath. After probing around and asking questions for five minutes, he suggested they do a chest x-ray to make sure it was pneumonia. Peyton was allowed to stay with Haley the entire time and for that they were both thankful; the kind nurses who continually looked in on them weren't sure which girl looked more frightened.

"You're a lucky young girl," he said as he reentered Haley's little cubical an hour after the x-ray. "You got here just in time. A few more days and you'd have landed yourself with a hospital stay."

"I want to go home," Haley said weakly as she buried her face in Peyton's shoulder.

"Give me five minutes to fill these scripts, and you're on your way," the doctor said kindly. "You need to take the entire prescription for both medications, even after you start feeling better. And the inhaler, you should use twice a day for about a week, until breathing becomes easier. If you have any questions, my phone number and email address are on this card. He handed Peyton a card and left them alone so that he could fill the prescriptions.

As they headed out the door with the filled prescriptions, Peyton heard someone calling her name. They turned to see Nathan and Lucas, still in their practice jerseys, running toward them. There was an immediate passing of Haley from Peyton to Nathan, who actually picked her up and saved her the trouble of attempting to walk in her weakened condition. Lucas, after seeing that his friend was alive and in one piece, turned his attention toward Peyton.

"I got your voice mail," he said sheepishly.

"Apparently," she said with a smile. "Your timing was good. A few more minutes and we'd have been home. How was practice?"

"Uneventful compared to your day."

"It was sort of crazy," Peyton agreed with a nod. "Haley has been ordered to bed for at least _two weeks_," she told Nathan emphatically. Haley started to argue but was cut off by both Peyton and Lucas, who explained to her that there was no choice. They both planned to make certain that she followed the doctor's orders to their strictest letter.

* * *

The title is taken somewhat from the song "Who needs Sleep?" by the Barenaked Ladies. 


	10. Key to Sanity

Chapter 10 Key to Sanity

Two weeks after she had first fallen ill, Haley returned to classes. Nathan had spoken to her advisor, who had in turn contacted her professors and provided them with a medical excuse. In truth, Lucas, Peyton, and Nathan had finished most of the assignments that were sent home for her because she had spent most of her time sleeping. As she walked to her freshman honors philosophy seminar, Haley attempted to remember what it was Peyton had read to her the night before. It had something to do with Kant and metaphysics but Haley had no idea what the concepts were. Since she was in the middle of panicking, she didn't notice the wall until she walked into it and landed on the ground. Just as one of her fellow classmates offered her a hand, Peyton came walking out of the ladies room and saw her getting up off the floor.

"Haley, what are you doing here?"

"Going to class," Haley replied irritably; she didn't appreciate her friend's tone.

"Okay," Peyton replied, backing away from the subject. "I'm headed to Art History. Want to meet up for lunch after?"

"I have a lot of work to catch up on—"

"You have to eat."

"Okay," Haley finally agreed. Lucas had walked up to them in the mean time and casually put his arm around Peyton.

"What's up?"

"Not Haley," Peyton said with an amused grin.

"Very funny. Mock the girl who's been sick for weeks."

"Come on Hales, we're gonna be late—" The three friends split up and went their separate ways. After about ten minutes, Haley wished she had stayed home again; her head felt as though it was liable to split in half. Lucas leaned over and asked if she was okay, to which she replied with a nod. There was nothing he could do about her head deciding to revolt. Toward the end of the period, their professor announced that the next test was going to be replaced with a group project and presentation. There were moans and groans from every direction but Haley found herself happy with the idea; she and Lucas always worked well together. It wasn't until the teacher announced that he would be picking the groups that she too joined in the despair. She watched as Lucas got paired up with a stuck-up redhead named Lisa. The girl simply rubbed her the wrong way.

"Hey," Lucas said uneasily to his new partner.

"Hi Lucas."

"You must be Lisa."

"Yeah. You're in my Calc class."

"Really?" He hadn't noticed. Then again, he tried to zone out as much as possible in that class; math simply was not his thing.

"Of course, silly. It's an honors class too. When do you want to work on the project?"

"Well, uh—I think I have practice most afternoons. This Saturday it's cancelled. How's that for you?"

"That's great. We need a computer, so the library won't work. And the computer labs are always so noisy—"

"We could work at my apartment."

"Really? Your girlfriend wouldn't mine?"

"I don't have one," Lucas said suspiciously.

"Oh, I thought you were dating that blond you're always with—"

"Who? Peyton? No, she's an old friend. Eleven on Saturday then?"

"It's a date," she said with a little too much excitement.

"She's a little too eager to do this project," Haley observed dryly. She had spent all of two seconds with her partner, exchanging email addresses and phone numbers.

"She's a little weird," Lucas agreed. He picked up his bag and looked down at the now-pale brunette. "Hey, you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine." He looked at her with an expression of disbelief and she sighed. "All right, I have a headache! Are you happy now?"

"Not at all," Lucas replied coolly. "My best friend has a headache. What are you doing now?"

"Meeting Peyton. Right outside these doors," she added when she saw him looking at her with a worried expression. "If you walk with me for two seconds, you two can even do the changing of the guards. That way," she said in a sarcastic whisper, "I won't be alone for even a second."

"We're just worried Hales."

"I know, but I'm just tired—"

"I'll walk back to the apartment with you. You should sleep if—" Peyton had heard the last statement and was immediately concerned.

"Tired of being fawned over!" Haley finished dramatically. "Sorry," she said right away. "You guys are incredibly wonderful. And I know that I have you to thank for being okay now. But I am okay now. I'm a big girl. Really. I'm fine." Lucas kissed her forehead and backed away, holding his hands up to signal that he'd surrendered; Haley was on her own.

"I'm not eating lunch by myself just because you're yelling," Peyton said pointedly. Haley smiled wyly and followed the blond to a nearby deli, where they ate their lunches and talked about their chaotic lives.

The deli was fairly quiet after the initial rush, everyone having gone outside to enjoy the warm weather for as long as possible. Peyton watched out the window as a boy ran by, his ruffled blondish hair and long strides strangely reminiscent of a certain roommate. Haley must have noticed as well because the topic of conversation quickly veered to their mutual friend.

"So, what's going on with you and Lucas?"

"Nothing," Peyton answered quickly, causing Haley to take on an expression of suspicion. Was she really supposed to believe such an answer? She had known for years that Peyton and Lucas were simply a couple that was destined to be; they understood one another like no one else ever would.

"Are you sure? You guys seem awfully close lately."

"No more than normal roommates," Peyton insisted. She picked up her sandwich and took a bite, avoiding Haley's probing stare while a momentary silence fell over them.

"It wouldn't be a bad thing—"

"Haley, Lucas and I had our chance – and we missed it. It's not going to happen."

"Okay," Haley said, backing off quickly. "Don't get upset. I just think that you two would be good for one another. And besides, it would be really nice not to have to worry about you guys anymore."

"You act like we're the only single people left in the world. It's perfectly normal to be 18 and unattached."

"I know. I just want everyone to be as happy as I am."

"You know that sounds really corny?"

"Yeah, I know," Haley said with a good-natured smile. They finished their lunch and made it to their next classes with general peace and ease.

* * *

The title of this chapter comes from the following quote:

A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. Lois Wyse


	11. Pretending Everything’s Okay

Thanks to everyone who took the time to review! I hope you like the next chapter. It's not terribly exciting, but it's important to the plot. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 11 Pretending Everything's Okay

Friday afternoon, Peyton was in the bedroom when Lucas and Nathan walked in to the apartment. They didn't expect her to be home since she had told Lucas that she was going to an Art Club meeting. She also didn't expect them because normally they were held after for practice until at least six. Making her presence known didn't occur to Peyton; she was busy working on a sketch and figured that the apartment was small; Lucas would find her sooner or later. Lucas threw his bag into the hall closet and went into the kitchen to get his brother something to drink.

"Where's Peyton?"

"Art club," Lucas replied as he poured two sodas.

"So what's going on between you two?" Peyton's ears perked up and she moved to the other side of the bed so that she could hear more of the conversation. Normally she would have been embarrassed over being so nosey but she had been asked that question often and she was curious to how Lucas answered it. The sketchpad stayed on her lap; she could pretend to be involved if she should be caught listening.

"What do you mean?"

"You. Peyton. Living in the same place. Come on, man. That bed obviously hasn't been slept in for weeks. There's dust on the covers," Nathan said with a glance at the bed in the living room.

"Nothing's going on," Lucas answered calmly. "We're friends."

"With benefits?" Nathan asked with a smirk.

"Want me to punch that smirk off your face?" Lucas' voice indicated his anger and Peyton smiled at the sound of him defending her but she also tried not to read too much into it. He was a gentleman; he would react the same way to a callous statement about any female.

"Sorry man, I was kidding."

"It's not the kind of thing you say about a woman. Like I said, we're just friends. Let's drop it."

"Sure. Whatever." Nathan sat down on the sofa and Peyton couldn't hear him as well, but she caught the important parts as the conversation continued, taking a slightly different direction. "If it's not Peyton, what's stopping you from dating?"

"I haven't found anyone I want to date."

"Come on, Luke. This campus is full of girls who would love to go out with you. There are even a few girls on the cheerleading squad—"

"I think I've had my fill of that," Lucas said, interrupting his brother. "The last time I dated a cheerleader, it ended badly. I'm not ready to date."

"Then it is Peyton."

"No, it's not—"

"Luke, you've got to get out more. Now, I married. So really you have to date for the both of us."

"Interesting concept," Lucas said as Peyton, still in the bedroom, rolled her eyes. She knew that Nathan had to be wrong, but a tiny voice in the back of her head reminded her that she had been planning to get her own apartment. She and Lucas had two separate lives, at least they were supposed to—

She hated the thought that she might be holding Lucas back from a normal social life but she was comfortable. Their arrangement as friends wasn't hurting anyone, so she let the thoughts go as she turned back to her drawing and attempted to concentrate on the still life bowl of fruit that she copying for an art class.

Lucas popped a pizza in the oven for dinner that night and they ate in the living room while watching _Rebecca_. The old Hitchcock movie was certainly not Lucas's first choice but he found himself enjoying the bizarre horror film; classics like that simply weren't created as often anymore. "So, what's up for this weekend?"

"I have a project to work on for perspectives. So far I can't seem to get it. But I only have until Monday, so this weekend is it."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. Are you gonna work here?"

"I might go to the studio for a few hours tomorrow. But otherwise I should be here. Why? Did you need the apartment?" Her mind was racing with the possibilities; had Lucas found someone? Even if he had, why did she care? Why was her heart pounding? She was so wrapped up in her panicked thoughts that she didn't hear him the first time he answered. After he tapped her shoulder to get her attention, he repeated himself.

"I don't need the apartment. I just have to work on a project with a kid from philosophy. I wanted to make sure you didn't mind if we worked here."

"Oh," she said distractedly. "I don't care. It's your apartment."

"It's yours too," Lucas said suspiciously. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, a little too snappily. She stood up, picked up her things, and was out of the room before Lucas could really focus on what was happening. The commercial was ending and the movie coming back on as Lucas stood up and followed Peyton into the bedroom, a puzzled expression still fixed in place.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Do you mean besides coming in here after I clearly wanted to be alone?"

"I'm too tired for a game. Just tell me what I did."

"You didn't do anything," Peyton said sullenly, reminding Lucas of a pouting child.

"If there's something –"

"There's nothing," she snapped. "I'm just tired." She turned away from him and buried her head in one of the pillows, refusing to look at him any longer.

"Okay," he said tentatively. He obviously wasn't convinced that she was fine. Seeing Peyton's stubborn display, he knew there wasn't anything he could do at the moment to change her opinion. So he turned and left the room, turning off the light and shutting the door behind him. Peyton rolled over and looked up at the ceiling, her eyes filling with tears. She knew she was being foolish. Then again, she reasoned, it wasn't her fault. It was everyone else that had thoughts of her relationship with Lucas running around in her head. Things had been perfectly fine before.

Deciding that she needed a voice of reason, Peyton picked up the telephone and dialed a number that had become second nature over the past few years. It only rang twice before there was an answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi Karen," she said as cheerfully as she could muster. She also attempted to keep her voice down. She had acted like a fool in front of Lucas, she really didn't want to deal with him presently.

"Peyton!" Karen said excitedly before her voice immediately grew quieter. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Peyton insisted.

"You're a very poor liar," Karen informed her. "If you're not going to tell me what's wrong, at least tell me what's going on. What is everyone up to?"

"Just school and stuff. Hales is feeling much better."

"It's a good thing. I hope you three didn't catch it."

"Not yet at least," Peyton assured her. "The basketball team is doing great. Maybe they'll make the playoffs."

"If they do, we'll have to come up to New York to watch a few games."

"That would be nice," Peyton said absently.

"Yeah, I think it would be. So, Keith has been working with Dan this week—"

"Yeah?" Peyton said listlessly, doing little to encourage the conversation.

"Yep," Karen said as normally as possible. "They were working on a project for the town council meeting. Apparently they hate the opposing candidate for Mayor more than they hate one another."

"That's good."

After a short pause, Karen broke in and her voice took on a firm but kind tone. "Peyton, tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing really," Peyton answered with the best laugh-off she could muster. "I'm just overwhelmed. A lot of work. And a lot of new people."

"Is Lucas bothering you?"

"No! No, he's fine. Everyone is fine. I'm sorry I called. I just wanted to hear a voice from home, I guess."

"Peyton, you're in New York along with quite a few people from Tree Hill."

"I know. But it's not the same."

"No, I guess it's not. So, how are your classes going?" Karen and Peyton talked for a little over an hour, long enough to get the younger girl's mind away from the confusion at hand.

* * *

The chapter title comes from Michelle Branch's "Are You Happy Now?"

"Now, don't just walk away  
Pretending everything's ok"


	12. Your Corner of the Forest

Chapter 12 Your Corner of the Forest 

Saturday morning was bright and sunny but surprisingly Peyton stayed in bed later than normal. Lucas was actually able to get up and ready for the day without waking the sleeping blond. Lisa arrived promptly at eleven and Lucas offered her a drink before they sat down in the living room to begin work. Unfortunately, she was interested in talking about anything besides philosophy. "Your apartment is great. Where did you get all of the beautiful artwork? You have an eye for it." Lucas chuckled and shook his head.

"It's cool, but I don't have anything to do with it. Peyton put them all up. Actually," he said as his eyes scanned the room, "she painted them all."

"Wow. She's talented."

"Yeah. She is," Lucas agreed. "Do you want to talk about Kant's metaphysics for the project? Or maybe utilitarianism? That would be the easiest to find real life examples."

"Is there a difference?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure there is," Lucas said as he attempted not to scowl. She apparently hadn't read the assignment or the book; how were they going to get any work done?

"You know, I meant to read. But then my roommate came home and I ended up talking to her all night. She's going through a rough time."

"Sorry about that. Maybe we should meet another day, after you've had a chance to read—"

"Oh, I'm already here. Maybe you could tell me about them? You always seem to know what you're talking about." Lucas was about to decline and cancel the meeting until she read the material but she squeaked and closed one of her eyes.

"What happened?"

"I lost a contact," she moaned. "It has to be here—" Lucas leaned over and tried to help her look for it on the sofa. He didn't realize how close she was to her until her lips met his. He pulled away immediately and looked up to meet a pair of staring hazel eyes. Lisa was sputtering on, trying to make one excuse or another, but Lucas wasn't paying attention; he was trying to read the expression in Peyton's eyes. From sleepiness, those clouded eyes were not.

"Sorry," she said awkwardly. "I didn't realize—"

"We were just working on a project—"

"Is that what they're calling it now?" Without giving him the chance to explain, Peyton turned and walked back into the bedroom, closing the door with a sturdy click.

"Maybe you should go," Lucas suggested.

"You said you weren't dating anyone."

"I'm not. But we can't get any work done until you've read the assignment and I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but I'm not interested."

"With that attitude, it's no wonder you're alone."

"Thanks for that opinion," Lucas said wryly. "I'll see you in class." Lisa didn't answer, but huffily gathered her things and stomped her way out of the apartment. Peyton, dressed in jeans and long sleeved t-shirt, appeared moments later with her bag and coat in hand.

"You didn't have to ask your little friend to leave."

"Look Peyton, I know what you think you saw—"

"It's none of my business," she said quickly, avoiding his gaze as she slipped on her black woolen coat and again took hold of her bag.

"Peyton, please just listen—"

"Lucas, you should be inviting girls over to your apartment. It's what guys do in college. This is getting too weird. We're getting in each other's way."

"I don't think—"

"We knew I was going to get my own place. I should have been looking all along. This was a good reminder."

"Lisa and I—"

"It doesn't matter," she interrupted again. You should be happy. I want you to be happy. And you're not going to find the right girl if we're living under the same roof." Before he could argue with her ludicrous thoughts, she was out the door, leaving him startled and reeling. He immediately called Haley and explained as best he could, trusting that his friend would be able to reach Peyton and talk some semblance of sense into her.

Peyton turned off her cell phone as soon as she reached the art department at the university, giving both Lucas and Haley no chance to reach her. She knew that the female Scott would be called in for backup after the way she had left Lucas back at the apartment. The poor boy was more confused than he had ever been in his life. Finding an empty studio in a back corner of the department, Peyton pulled out her project and her mp3 player and began to work zealously, attempting to block out the earlier occurrences.

Time flew while she was working and she didn't realize how quickly the day had passed by. When she walked out into the hall she realized that evening had begun; the autumn day had already turned dark. Sighing, Peyton went back into the room to gather her things and begin her trek back to the apartment. More than ten missed calls greeted her when she turned on her phone. Not only had Haley, Lucas, and Nathan tried, but someone had called Brooke.

Cringing, Peyton redialed and awaited her boisterous friend's answer. "It's about time," Brooke yelled when she picked up. "Do you _know_ how worried you have everyone? What is wrong with you, Peyton? If I were there, I'd kick your ass for this. I don't care how mad you are at Lucas. You don't disappear all day in a strange city! Haley is trying to convince Lucas to call the police! What were you thinking?" Peyton hung up without answering; her hands shaking as she once again turned off the phone and threw it in her bag. The walk home was chilly despite her heavy coat; winter was threatening on the fringes of the autumn air.

Peyton was trying not to cry but Brooke's outburst had surprised her. She hadn't actually thought about everyone else when she'd disappeared. She was used to doing whatever she wanted, whenever it was convenient. Needing time alone had never required permission before. Then again, she was also embarrassed that she had worried everyone; even if they were overreacting. She bit her lip in nervousness as she walked into the lobby and waved half-heartedly to the doorman. He nodded to her and she flushed with the realization that Lucas must have had the doorman on the lookout; he seemed to look at her knowingly.

She stood outside the door for a few minutes, trying to gather her nerves together for whatever lay beyond the thick oak. Surprisingly, only Haley sat in the living room. A very calm Haley. She was curled up on the couch, watching the television and sipping from a mug of what looked to be hot chocolate. Peyton closed the door with a soft click and pulled her coat off, moving to put it in the hall closet.

"Brooke called."

"I know," Peyton said softly.

"She's pretty ticked that you hung up on her."

"I could listen to her yell."

"She was just worried."

"I know," Peyton repeated. "I'm sorry," she said in a near-whisper. Haley's cold exterior immediately melted and she jumped up to hug her friend.

"We were so worried," Haley said emphatically. "When Lucas couldn't find you in the studios and then your phone was off—"

"I was in one of the studios," Peyton said questioningly as she moved toward the sofa and sat down, Haley immediately sitting next to her. "It was one of the smaller ones, in the older part of the building," she said apologetically.

"I guess Luke didn't know they were there."

"I guess not," Peyton agreed. She looked around the apartment questioningly, wondering if Lucas and Nathan were hiding in the bedroom. What would they be doing in there? Lucas rarely used his desk; it was mostly a home for "almost-clean" clothes that one of them planned to wear again before washing. There wasn't a TV there, so what could they be doing.

"They're not here," Haley said, as though reading Peyton's mind. "They went back to our place. We thought you might need some time away from each other. What's going on?"

"It's nothing," Peyton insisted. Her hurried tone and escaping gaze clearly indicated to her friend that she was lying.

"Peyton, come on, you know you can tell me."

"It's just getting to be too much."

"What is?"

"Living with Lucas. I need my own place."

"Did Luke do something?"

"No," Peyton said with a sigh. "It's just not natural. He needs his own place too. We need our own lives. Separate lives."

"Lucas has no problem with you living here."

"I know, I just need somewhere to be alone. It's me. I'm just not used to living with other people. It's been me and my dad for so long. And he's usually gone—"

"It's understandable," Haley agreed. "But do you really want to move out? The apartment is yours now too. Maybe you and Luke could work something else out—"

"No," Peyton said stubbornly, her jaw set and eyes blazing with resolution. "I need my own place."

"Okay, I'll start helping you look tomorrow. But until then, let us know when you plan to drop off the face of the planet." Haley picked up a pillow before she continued speaking. "And never," she said in mocking-anger as she swung the pillow at Peyton, "never scare us like that again!" The two had a quick pillow fight before they both went to bed, exhausted from the crazy day. Despite Peyton's exhaustion, she couldn't sleep. She kept jolting awake when she realized that there was a smaller than usual form under the covers beside her. It was a restless night, but they were all relived to at least know that Peyton was safe and accounted for.

* * *

The quote for this chapter title is from AA Milne:

"You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes."


	13. Life's Like This

Chapter 13 Life's Like This 

It was the third week of October when Peyton moved into her new apartment, taking her soft purple comforter and her abstract paintings with her. Lucas and Nathan joked about the basketball posters looking better than the flowery landscapes and somewhat blurry portraits, but they both knew that a bit of hominess left the apartment with the blonde artist. Since nothing she brought was very heavy, Haley and Peyton were able to do most of the moving themselves. This was a blessing considering the fact that Lucas and Peyton were still not talking, let alone looking at one another.

"This is it," Peyton said as she opened the front door to a building wedged between a drug store and what Haley feared to be an adult bookstore. She hoped that's all it was as she neutralized her expression and followed Peyton inside.

"Are you sure about this, Peyton?"

"What do you mean?"

"Luke doesn't want you to leave."

"I can't depend on Lucas forever. I need my own place," Peyton said, almost sharply. Haley heard the change in her voice and realized it might be a good idea to drop the subject quickly.

"You're still in for Sunday dinner, right?"

"Sure," Peyton agreed after a moment of thought. She knew the dinners were important to Haley. It didn't matter if they had dinner together every other night of the week; Sunday was an all-out feast with the good plates, ironed tablecloth – the whole works. While Peyton and her father hadn't put much stock into fancy dinners over the past few years, she still realized that it was a nice tradition to uphold. If it helped Haley feel more at home, then she could deal with Lucas once a week. It took them less than half a day to move Peyton's things but the remainder of the day was consumed cleaning and organizing; mostly cleaning. Haley was personally appalled at the discovery of strange animal droppings under cabinets and dead insects in corners. If it bothered Peyton, she didn't allow her friend to see.

"Are you using dial-up, or having cable Internet installed?" Haley asked as she sat on a chair, plugging various cords into Peyton's computer.

"Not sure yet," Peyton said, her voice very dismissing. It obviously wasn't high on her list of concerns. Currently, she was working on hanging heavy drapes on the windows. Haley had noticed that she was insistent on making sure the blinds and drapes were of the highest quality. No amount of city chaos and lights were going to cut through those panels of violet fabric or cherry wood.

"I don't like the thought of Peyton all alone," Haley said later that night as she crawled into bed next to Nathan.

"Peyton's a big girl. She knows what she wants," Nathan said nonchalantly. He wanted to close the topic as soon as possible; he didn't think Haley talking about Peyton was the best way to set the mood for his idea of a good night.

"What if this isn't what she wants? You know she does that whole self-sacrificing thing if she thinks she's interfering with anyone. She and Luke are more alike than they'll ever realize."

"I personally don't like the idea of being self-sacrificing," Nathan said with a sigh.

"You wouldn't," Haley agreed with a laugh as she swatted at him. "You know what I mean. I just get the feeling that Peyton left because she felt like she was in Luke's way. And that's just not true. And the apartment she rented – it's awful. There's no doorman—"

"Wait a minute—" Nathan interrupted. "Are you telling me that you helped Peyton move into a building without security and you wait until now to say anything—"

"You were at practice all day," Haley accused. "It looks pretty secure otherwise. There's an alarm and a few door locks, but no doorman."

"I don't like the sound of that—"

"Neither did I," Haley said with a frown. "But I tried to talk her out of it all day. And she wouldn't listen."

Nathan and Haley were not alone in worrying about Peyton's first night in her new apartment. Lucas walked around his now-seemingly empty apartment and looked at all the signs of the girl who had just left. He still couldn't get his mind around it; Peyton was gone. He knew she was angry with him, but he never thought she would go as far as to move out. Actually, he was still a bit foggy on what he had done wrong. They'd never before discussed bringing friends into the apartment so he hadn't thought it a big deal when he asked Lila over to work on a project for their American Lit course. Apparently it had been a big deal to Peyton because they spent a better part of that evening arguing over stupid incidents until she admitted that she was irked about Lila's earlier presence.

He sat down with an old tattered copy of _The Fall of the House of Usher_ and read the first page twelve times before settling for watching a mindless game show instead. It was well into the morning before he fell asleep on the sofa, his neck cricked and his mind not at all restful. The following nights were little better for any of them. Haley called Peyton every morning before class, just to reassure herself that nothing had happened over night. Brooke called every night under the pretense for chatter but Peyton knew better; her friend was a poor liar. The residents of Tree Hill, under Peyton's insistence, still believed that she lived with Lucas in the nice, safe apartment building in a good part of the chaotic town. She did not think that telling her dad about the move was the best idea if she wanted him to stay in North Carolina.

She attempted to make the apartment as homey as possible but it wasn't as easy as it had been with Lucas's apartment. There was no one to comment when she painted something along the border of a wall or on the bleached kitchen tiles. She was the only person to appreciate the flowers she placed weekly on the windowsill and the battered Formica kitchen table. About a week after she moved in, Haley brought the Scott brothers over for a visit. Nathan was clearly suspicious of the building because he jumped at every sound and looked around like something might jump out of the walls. Lucas, on the other hand, was more uncomfortable with the prospect of spending time with Peyton; he was still too confused to deal with her.

Peyton and Haley were in the kitchen making dinner while Nathan and Lucas tossed a paperweight back and forth across the fairly barren living room. Apparently Peyton hadn't had time to hook up the television yet and they were not used to having to amuse themselves with technology.

"We need tomatoes," Haley said as she came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. "Come on Nathan. Help Peyton," she ordered Lucas as she tossed him the towel and picked up her coat. "We'll be back." The petite brunette did not give either brother the chance to answer; she had Nathan out the door before he could shrug into his coat. Lucas slowly stood and cautiously made his way to the kitchen.

"Hey," he said as nonchalantly as possible.

"Hey," she answered back uncomfortably. There was a terribly awkward moment before she decided to speak again. "I'm okay in here. You don't have to help."

"I want to," Lucas responded quickly. "I mean, if you want me to."

"I want you to," she answered softly. He picked up a spoon and began to stir the pot of spaghetti sauce Haley had left unattended. She turned back to the salad she was making and avoided his sideways glances by appearing to be incredibly interested in shredding the lettuce.

"Listen, Peyton, what happened with us?"

"Lucas, there is no us," she said harshly. "We have our own lives."

"Mine sort of sucks without you."

"You can't say stuff like that," she said angrily, turning her sad gaze on him. "You just can't."

"I don't understand why you're mad at me."

"I'm not mad. I just wish this could stop being so hard."

"What's hard about being friend?"

"I don't know," Peyton answered in a whisper. "It's not supposed to be. I just can't do this," she added in a hoarse, tear-filled voice. She threw down the knife she was using and disappeared into the tiny bedroom town the hall, leaving Lucas as upset and confused as ever. Haley and Nathan returned ten minutes later to a strangely set table; Haley knew right away that Lucas had done it. No one else put the silverware right on top of the plate.

"Where's Peyton?"

"In her room," Lucas said in a frustrated voice. "I think I'm going to head home. I just don't get her."

"What did you say?"

"Absolutely nothing," Lucas said defensively.

"Yeah, I believe that," Haley said sarcastically. "I'll go talk to her."

"Do you want me to wait?" Nathan asked. "If you're going to be here a while, I'll walk back with Lucas. You take a cab."

"I might just stay," Haley said uncertainly. "I'll call and let you know. Love you." She stood on her toes and kissed Nathan and hugged him. She turned to Lucas and pecked him on the cheek. "Love you too, doofus."

"Hey!"

"Just saying," she said innocently. "You guys be careful."

"You too," Lucas answered emphatically, motioning toward Peyton's closed door.

"I'll be fine," Haley answered with a glare. "I can't really say the same for you. But I'll talk to you tomorrow." After the brothers left, she fixed two of the plates and carried them into Peyton's bedroom where the blond was curled up on her bed, pretending to sleep.

"Get off it," Haley said as she entered. "I'm not leaving. And I know you're awake."

"I just want to be alone."

"And I wanted to marry Brad Pitt," Haley answered. "I'm stuck with Nathan. You're stuck with me."

"I don't want to talk about Lucas."

"Lucas who?" Peyton smiled a bit and sat up, gratefully accepting the plate Haley handed her. They ate in relatively silence and then Haley called Brooke and the three talked for hours, never touching the subject of their favorite basketball player but always skirting around the elephant that was prominently sitting between them. They talked well into the night, not falling off to sleep until they finally breeched the subject they had been avoiding all night.

"So what happened with Luke? Did he say something stupid?"

"He just gets to close for comfort sometimes," Peyton answered. "He doesn't realize that it hurts me to be around him and not be with him. Why is it so hard being friends with him? We've been friends for years."

"Maybe you're not just friends anymore," Haley said seriously. "And would that be such a bad thing?"

"Yes. No I don't know," Peyton said in exasperation. " I need time to think."

"I think you've got it. You've got Luke so confused that he's not going to have time to look at other girls." They both started giggling at the thought of Lucas being completely confounded over the whole thing. He was the only person more upset and confused than Peyton.

* * *

The chapter title is from Avril Lavigne's "Complicated."

Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm glad that the friendship between Haley and Peyton is liked – I always loved it on the show and wanted to see more of it. I also am a fan of Jake and Lucas's friendship but I'm not sure if that will fit in to this story. We'll see. Well, hope you liked this chapter. Let me know what you think!


	14. When the Bottom Drops

Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad everyone likes where the story is going. I know that I've had Peyton and Lucas dancing around the relationship for a long time, but they will be together by the end of this story. Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 14 When the Bottom Drops

It was almost four on a Tuesday morning and Peyton was just beginning to fall asleep, her pencil falling from her hand and landing with a soft tap on the sketchpad that sat on her bed. Sleep came even less frequently in her new apartment, but it gave her more time to work on her artwork. That was the justification she had to give herself almost every day. She was awakened from her tiny catnap when she heard a thud in the outer hallway. Sitting up, her senses immediately alert, Peyton gripped the pillow that had been sitting in front of her. She listened for another moment and realized in horror that the sounds were coming from right outside her own door. She reached out and attempted to grab the telephone, but she had apparently left the cordless out of its charger. Silently scolding herself, she quietly stood and walked slowly towards the kitchen counter, where she knew her purse and cell phone to be. Her hand was on her purse when the door was roughly forced open.

The sun had barely risen Tuesday morning when Lucas was awoken by the sound of his telephone, ringing mercilessly from its cradle beside his bed. His eyes still closed, he picked it up and answered in a brusque voice still drenched in sleep.

"May I speak to Lucas Scott?"

"Speaking," he said gruffly, hoping for this woman's sake that she wasn't a telemarketer calling that early in the morning.

"Mr. Scott, I'm calling from the University medical center. We have a patient who was just brought in, Peyton Sawyer—" Lucas sat up with a jolt and jumped out of bed, any fragment of sleep quickly gone.

"Is she alright, what happened?"

"Mr. Scott, calm down. Ms. Sawyer is fine. You were the local contact in her medical file and she needs someone to take her home."

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Lucas said without a pause. "Where is she?" As soon as the woman told him where he could find Peyton, he hung up the phone, threw on a shirt and khakis, and flew out the door. He reached the hospital in record time and jogged the stairs to the fourth floor, not bothering to wait for the elevator. She was sitting in a waiting room of sorts, her pajama clad legs pulled to her chest and her forehead resting on her knees. Using her cascade of curls as a curtain was useless in hiding her identity; Lucas would have known those golden locks anywhere. He slowed down as he approached her, not wanting to scare her with his current panic. There was a woman, probably a nurse, sitting on the other side of her and apparently trying to offer her something to drink. She noticed Lucas approaching and stood up.

"Here, you try," the nurse said gently as she handed the glass of juice to Lucas. "The doctor will be out to talk to you in a minute. Then you can take her home." Lucas nodded and set the glass down on a nearby table before sitting next to Peyton.

"Hey," he said gently. He tried to get her to look at him but she refused, keeping her head buried in her knees.

"They shouldn't have called you," she said with what Lucas believed to be a sob.

"Peyton, just tell me what happened. Or at least look at me." She finally did, and he attempted not to gasp when he saw the recently formed bruises and several scratches that covered her beautiful face. Her eyes were red and puffy, probably from the tears she was currently fighting. "What happened to you?" His voice was strained now, almost of the verge of tears himself.

"It's nothing—" she said in a whisper. Lucas was about to challenge that comment when the doctor interrupted him.

"Ms. Sawyer, are you sure we can't convince you to stay?" Peyton shook her head firmly before the doctor could continue.

"Do you think she should?" Lucas asked, ignoring Peyton's protests.

"I think it would be best if she stayed for observation but I can't force her. She's over eighteen; the hospital cannot hold her against her will."

"Peyton, maybe it's not a bad idea. Just to make sure—"

"No," she said firmly, her eyes pleading with Lucas.

"Ms. Sawyer, a few of those wounds had to be stitched and those broken ribs are going to make it difficult to get around. Coupled with the trauma of the attack and clinical exhaustion—"

"I want to go home," she told Lucas, who nodded and looked apologetically at the doctor.

"Let me talk to him alone for a minute," Lucas said gently. Peyton nodded and watched as they both walked outside of the waiting room, speaking in low voices on the other side of the glass wall.

"She's just going to be difficult if she's kept here," Lucas said as soon as they were out of hearing range.

"Are you the boyfriend?"

"If that's what works," Lucas mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"Yeah," Lucas answered quickly. "What happened? What's this about an attack?"

"The police would know more. They called for the ambulance. Something about an intruder. She wasn't too badly hurt. She got a hold of the police before too much damage was done but she was already suffering, as far as I can tell, from clinical exhaustion. These are prescriptions for sleeping pills, pain medication, and an antibiotic. Make sure she takes them all. I'd say physical activity is out for at least two weeks. Too much movement is going to pull those stitches and the ribs are going to hurt for a long time. She should make an appointment with her primary care doctor as soon as possible."

"He would be back in North Carolina," Lucas answered.

"I can have the nurse give you a few names for here in New York."

"We'd appreciate that," Lucas said with a nod. "Can I take her home now?"

"Yes. Keep an eye on her for the next few nights. If anything starts to hurt more or she develops a fever, bring her back in."

"Will do. Thanks," Lucas said as he stuck his hand out to shake the doctor's hand. He turned back to Peyton and saw that she was now lying across two chairs, curled up in a ball. Regardless of all the time he had spent telling himself that she was not the one, Lucas couldn't help but see the woman of his dreams every time he looked at her; no matter whether she was dressed elegantly for some dance or still in her pajamas.

"Where are your shoes?" Lucas asked when he saw that her feet were bare.

"I don't know." Her voice was a bit confused, a sign he took as positive. The scary scenarios occurred when she refused to show emotion.

"Okay," he answered nonchalantly. "Come on." Without waiting for her approval, he picked her up and carried her toward the exit and then into the nearest waiting cab.

"You're just trying to show off," she teased weakly.

Lucas carried her back to his apartment and tucked her in under the familiar blue and gray comforter his mother had picked out and brought from North Carolina. His bed was now in the bedroom, right where her queen-sized bed had previously stood. While the room looked a little bare, it was still more familiar and comforting to her than anything in her new apartment. They had stopped at the hospital pharmacy long enough to fill the prescriptions and so Lucas was handing her pills as soon as he had enough time to pour a glass of juice.

"I don't need them," she argued weakly.

"Peyton, take the pills. You're lucky they even let you out of the hospital. You don't want to wind up back there." With that thought in mind, she took the three pills and swallowed them in one gulp of apple juice. The nurse from earlier that day had been trying to tempt her with orange juice; apparently Lucas knew better.

"I can't stay here—"

"Would you just shut up for a while? You're not moving from this bed until further notice, got it?" Peyton didn't answer but also didn't argue immediately, which Lucas took as a good sign. She fell asleep less than ten minutes later, right in the middle of an argument over whether or not she was going to stay in the apartment. She contended that it was perfectly safe for her to return to her new apartment while Lucas declared that would happen over his dead body. Luckily she fell asleep before she threatened him with any bodily harm. Lucas tucked the covers around her and dropped a kiss on her forehead before going out into the living room and grabbing his telephone. After he alerted his brother and sister-in-law to the situation, he sat back and tried to calmly replay the day. It was impossible considering he was no longer exactly sure which day it was.

"Luke?" Haley didn't knock on his door anymore. Now that she had her own key and the doorman knew to let her in, she often walked in as though entering her own home. He often wondered if that was how Peyton had felt in Tree Hill, when no one ever felt the need to knock before walking into her house. "Luke, is she alright?"

"She's fine now," Lucas answered. "In the bedroom." Haley dropped her coat on a chair and hurried back to the bedroom, leaving the two brothers sitting together in utter confusion. Nathan wasn't exactly sure what was going on and Lucas wasn't exactly sure what to do. Together, they were the perfect combination of completely clueless and helplessly baffled.

"So what happened?"

"I'm not really sure," Lucas answered. "The nurse was pretty cryptic and Peyton's not exactly fit for sharing right now. But apparently someone tried to break into her apartment. And she got roughed up in the process."

"Did he—" The look of horror on Nathan's face supplied the question he couldn't bring himself to ask.

"No," Lucas answered quickly. "She fended him off. The doctor seemed to think the police were impressed that she held the creep off for so long."

"I can't believe we let her stay in that building," Nathan said seething. "I knew it sounded off, but I let it go—"

"If I wouldn't have been so wrapped up in my own ego she never would have left in the first place," Lucas said in commiseration.

"I guess it is more your fault," Nathan said with a nod, followed quickly by an elbow to the side by his brother.

"She can't go back there," Lucas said after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah, but she's not to happy with you, so I don't think she wants to stay here."

"I don't care what she wants. It's not safe." Nathan nodded and the two brothers began to concoct a plan that would keep Peyton in their field of vision and out of harms way.

* * *

The title for this chapter comes from Vanessa Carleton's "Paradise." 


	15. Takes a Little Time

Thanks so much for the reviews! Sorry this took so long to update, but we're in midterm weeks at school. The bright side - my last set of undergraduate midterms ever -) Anyway, thanks for reviewing and I hope you like the next chapter:

Chapter 15 Takes a Little Time

Haley entered the room quietly and found her friend sleeping, thanks to the fairly strong sleeping pill that had been prescribed at the hospital. After realizing that Peyton wasn't about to wake up any time soon, Haley went back into the living room to confer with the Scott brothers. They spent the rest of the evening sitting around in Lucas's apartment, feeling unable to leave one another. It had been a close call that morning and they would not soon forget that they could have lost Peyton. She was still sleeping when Nathan and Haley left just before ten that night. Lucas didn't have the heart to stay in the living room while she was alone in the bedroom but didn't want to invade her personal space either. That left him with no choice but to curl up in the armchair in his room. He was barely beginning to nod off when she awoke at five in the morning.

Not immediately remembering what had happened, she sat up quickly and cringed; the broken ribs were obviously hurting her. Lucas was immediately at her side, gently pushing her back down. "Careful," he warned. She mumbled something incoherent and closed her eyes once more, this time staying asleep until well into the afternoon.

Haley was sitting at Lucas's desk balancing a chemical equation when she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that Peyton was beginning to stir. Mr. Sawyer had been contacted by the police and it had been all they could do earlier that morning to convince him and Karen that they didn't need to come to New York. If Karen hadn't been there to reason with him, Haley believed they would be contending with the father at that very moment. Instead, Lucas promised that Peyton would be moving back in with him; the only problem was convincing her of the arrangement. After ending the call with Mr. Sawyer, the Scott brothers headed over to Peyton's apartment to pack things. They wanted to have her moved out before she was strong enough to put up any sort of fight.

"Hey," Haley said when she noticed that Peyton's eyes were open.

"Hi. What's going on?"

"You don't remember?" Peyton shook her head slightly and Haley moved from the chair, perching herself instead on the edge of the bed. "What exactly don't you remember?"

"What happened?"

"Someone broke into your apartment—"

"My phone—" she said, suddenly returning to the terrifying previous morning.

"But it's okay now."

"I couldn't find it—"

"Peyton, it's okay now," Haley repeated gently as she moved closer and wrapped her arms around the other girl. "It's okay," she cooed, stroking the other girl's hair gently as they both began to cry. Haley, realizing that she was not being very helpful, quickly dried her own tears and then attempted to comfort the other girl. Lucas found them both still a soggy mess and, much to Haley's surprise, looked like he also had tears in his eyes. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gently stroked Peyton's hair, remaining silent as the two girls struggled to calm themselves. Eventually, the sobs died down and Lucas handed Haley a few tissues. After giving them a few minutes of much needed quiet, Lucas finally spoke.

"Dinner's ready, if anyone's hungry."

"Not yet," Peyton said softly.

"That's okay. It'll be ready whenever you are," Lucas offered gently. "Hales?"

"In a little while." She sat back against the headboard and kept her arms around Peyton and they both lay there, silently thinking about how lucky they were not to be in a much more terribly position that day. After Peyton fell back off to sleep, Haley crept from the room and accepted the chicken and dumplings that Lucas had somehow figured out how to make. The stew-like concoction was soothing; the perfect comfort food for the weather outside and the mood inside.

It took a few days before Peyton was ready and willing to leave the bedroom. Her first venture was out into the living room where she found Lucas working diligently on a paper for one of his English classes. She apologized immediately and started to turn around.

"No, It's okay," he insisted. "I'm not busy."

"You're sure."

"Yeah," he said as he moved a few books to the floor and moved over to give her room on the sofa. She smiled weakly and made her way across the living room. She was exhausted by the time she reached Lucas and gratefully allowed him to help her get situated. He sat at one end of the sofa while she lay against him and attempted to watch the old black and white version of "_Meet Me in St. Louis_." She was fast asleep before the Halloween scene. Haley arrived after her classes and found them that way. She was making dinner when Peyton woke up, at first surprised as to her position and location.

"I should go home soon," she said weakly.

"All your stuff is here," Lucas answered nonchalantly. She realized that he was right; they had moved everything back into his apartment and unpacked up, leaving the apartment looking almost identical to what it had been prior to her original move.

"Why?"

"We moved it," he answered easily. "You're not going back there."

"Yes I am."

"No you're not," he repeated with a bit more firmness.

"I am too."

"No," Haley said sternly as she walked out of the kitchen. "You are not going back there. No matter what else you do, you're not going back to that place. End of discussion." Peyton turned away and faced the back of the sofa as hot tears sprang to her eyes; she softly cried herself back to sleep in minutes.

"That went well," Lucas said to Haley.

"She can cry all she wants. She's staying here. Better safe than happy."

"That's an interesting way of putting it."

"I'm not willing to lose her."

"Neither am I," Lucas agreed. He sat with her while she slept and worked sparingly on his paper. After Haley left for her night class, Lucas was just about to nod off himself when the phone rang. He didn't grab it quickly enough and Peyton awoke too, sitting up with the same surprised look in her face. "Hello?"

"Hey, Lucas."

"Brooke. What's up?"

"Let me talk to Peyton."

"Hold on a sec," he said immediately. He looked over at Peyton, who was stretching and blinking her eyes, trying to bring herself to some sort of lucidity. "It's Brooke. She wants to talk to you." Peyton nodded and took the phone.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey back," Brooke replied. "What trouble have you been getting yourself into?"

"That's not funny," Peyton objected.

"No, I don't think anything is right now," Brooke agreed. "How are you holding up?"

"Alright."

"You never were a good liar," Brooke said warningly.

"I'm okay," Peyton replied. "How's school going?"

"It's hard," Brooke whined playfully. Her voice quickly became flirty and Peyton could imagine that she was batting her eyelashes in mock-innocence "But luckily I've found myself a tutor—"

"And you actually study with him?"

"Of course! Well, After the sex."

"Is it serious?"

"Maybe," Brooke said uncertainly. "It's new. What's going on with you? Is Lucas being an ass? Why are you so set on leaving? Lap up the attention, P. Sawyer. And the free rent."

"I can't talk about this now."

"I guess I can wait."

"I'll see you in a few weeks for Thanksgiving."

"Well, I hope you're in a better mood by then. Because I don't want to travel thousands of miles just to sit around and mope. We're going to have fun, Peyton. Even if it kills you."

"I'll keep that in mind," Peyton said wryly. She and Brooke spent a few more minutes before her eyes began to droop again. Lucas took the phone and told Brooke he would talk to her later.

"Do you want to go back to bed?"

"No," Peyton said tiredly. "I've had enough sleep."

"Apparently not," he said with a teasing smile as she fought a yawn. "Don't rush it." Peyton didn't answer but she did eventually agree to go back to bed. She did not mention leaving again until she was able to stay awake and concentrate for more than 15 minute at a time. During her recovery stage, Haley and Lucas were far too able to overpower her suggestions. Therefore, the next week or so was fairly insignificant and uneventful, filled only with makeup work and preparations for midterms.

* * *

The title of this chapter comes from Amy Grant's "Takes a Little Time." 


	16. Between Your Heart and Mine

Thanks so much for the reviews. This is the chapter that everyone has been anticipating… I hope it lives up to expectations and the wait! I will be writing about thanksgiving day and we will be seeing more residents of Tree Hill. Again, thanks so much for the reviews – it helps the writing process to know what other people are enjoying the story as much as I am. Here is the next part, enjoy!

Also, Gretchen, enjoy your last semester, I hope it's going well for you!

* * *

Chapter 16 Between Your Heart and Mine

Peyton knew she was upsetting all of her friends but she couldn't live with Lucas forever; it was making her too comfortable. No one else understood how difficult it was to be with someone you knew you couldn't have in the long run. And their experiences since the sophomore year of high school had clearly indicated that they had missed their opportunity to be together. As she aimlessly ruffled through her suitcase and removed the things that needed hung, Peyton thought of Lucas and what he must be doing in his apartment. It was almost dinner time, she hoped he was making something that could be deemed 'real' food instead of something frozen.

She spent a quiet evening in the lonely hotel room, watching reruns of _Mary Tyler Moore _and _I Love Lucy_. Since she still was not completely back to her normal self, she fell asleep from sheer exhaustion around nine that night.

_The city was bustling and chaotic, even in the mounds of snow. Ladies walked smartly in heels that seemed to simply glide over the soft banks of white flakes. Looking around, Peyton was a bit confused. What was Karen's Café doing next to Lucas's apartment building? She trudged through the snow in her bare feet and gently pushed the door open, poking her head in to see Karen standing behind the counter, talking happily with a young woman at the counter. Anna Sawyer's light brown curls bounced as she laughed at whatever Karen had said; her blue eyes twinkled as she turned to face the door, and the daughter she had left behind. _

"_Mom?" Peyton's voice was hoarse, fighting its way through the lump that had formed in her throat and the tears that were gathering in her hazel eyes. _

"_Peyton, darling. I was wondering when you'd get here. Isn't that snow awful? Karen's just made some hot chocolate for us. Come, sit down." Peyton crossed the café in her bare feet, fully aware that she must look ridiculous in her pajamas and sleep-ruffled curls. Her mother didn't seem to mind as she turned to her daughter and gave her a peck on the cheek. It was only then that Peyton realized that her mother was holding a tiny baby, a little girl in a pink dress with wisps of blond curls. _

"_Who is this?"_

"_You act like you don't even know your own daughter. Silly girl. Here, take her. She wants her mama." Anna handed the baby to Peyton and the younger girl accepted, not know what else to do. Anna stood, her light blue dress pooling around her legs as she stood at her full height. She leaned over and kissed Peyton's forehead before whispering the next statement. "I am so proud of you, my baby girl. You are all I could have hoped for. I love you so much. And I know you'll find your way." With that, she began to walk toward the door, not looking back until Peyton called out in a panicked voice. _

"_Wait! What do I do with her?" She was looking at the tiny baby, who was simply staring at her with large blue eyes, not making a sound or a motion._

"_You'll figure it out, my darling. You're in good hands." As her mother disappeared through the door and into the snow, Peyton turned around and realized that Karen was no longer the only occupant of the café. Keith and Larry were playing checkers in a booth while Haley and Brooke sat at another, surrounded by schoolbooks and magazines. Nathan and Jake were, for one reason or another, playing basketball in one corner of the café. As she turned to face the counter again, she realized that she was in fact behind the counter, standing close to both Karen and Lucas. Before Lucas could speak, the door slammed open and a freezing wind blew in…_

Peyton awoke with a start, shivering uncontrollably with tears rolling down her already splotched cheeks. Reaching for her cell phone, she unsteadily began to dial a familiar number. Thinking again, she hung up and sat back in bed, trying to convince herself to go back to sleep. Still terribly shaken ten minutes later, she threw on her shoes and a coat, grabbed her purse, and practically ran to the lobby of the hotel. The doorman looked a little surprised at her appearance at three in the morning but hailed her a cab without question. She stood outside Lucas's apartment building for a full ten minutes, walking to the door and then backing away again, never quite getting up the nerve to enter. She was about to hail another cab when the door opened and Lucas appeared next to her on the sidewalk.

"Everything okay?"

"How did you know?"

"Hank called up when he saw you out here. It's a good thing he did. It's freezing out here. Let's go inside," she said as he reached for her arm.

"No!" She said as she quickly pulled away.

"Okay," Lucas said, taking a step back. "At least come into the lobby."

"I don't understand—" She began to say between sobs, while shaking her head.

"You're not alone," he answered softly, gently moving closer and eventually pulling her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her curls as he soothingly rubbed her back. After a few minutes of allowing her to sob, Lucas pulled away a bit and lightly ruffled her curls before speaking. "Can we at least go into the lobby? It's really cold." She nodded and allowed him to lead her into the lobby. Since she wasn't paying attention, he continued to the elevator and led her all the way into his apartment and sat her down on the living room sofa. Remaining silent, he gently helped her out of her coat and pulled a fleece blanket around her shoulders.

"So you want to tell me what you're doing here? Not that I mind," he added quickly. "But it's kinda late. Or early," he said as he ran his hands uneasily through his already sleep ruffled hair.

"I'm sorry," she said shakily, squeezing her eyes shut to avoid his gaze.

"Don't apologize. Just tell me what happened. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Her tone of voice was not at all reassuring. He sat down next to her on the sofa and took her hand firmly in his, a sign of reassurance as well as stability. They weren't going anywhere until he had a few answers.

"It was a dream," she said quietly, lightly enough that he had to strain to hear the words. "My mom was there."

"Oh Peyton," he whispered as he pulled her into a hug and held her as the heart-wrenching sobs began to rack her weakened frame. After a few moments, the sobs slowed and she slowly seemed to regain some of her composure.

"I'm sorry," she said shakily as she attempted to pull away. "I just couldn't be alone after that—"

"Don't apologize. You're welcome here anytime."

"You have your own life."

"Not without you, I don't." His sudden and firm response surprised them both, momentarily causing Peyton's mind to wander from the night's painful dream.

"What are you saying?"

"Hell, we've waited long enough. This is ridiculous, acting like we want to lead separate lives. It's too forced. I don't want to leave for practice or class in the morning without seeing you first. I miss the random artwork in the margins of my notebooks and on the back of receipts. The sink is lonely with one toothbrush. And it looks empty without that damn curling iron plugged in every morning. I don't like eating dinner without you. It's just not as interesting when no one has given the vegetables cartoon voices—"

"I only did that once," Peyton said with a gasp, not sure if she was mortified or deliriously happy at his outburst.

"It doesn't matter. As long as you're there. _You_ make my day Peyton. I don't want to have any more of them without you. I love you. And I don't want to lose you ever again."

"This is too much—"

"I'm sorry. We'll slow down. I got a little carried away." She nodded, giving him a look that clearly indicated her current doubt of his sanity.

"Let's go to sleep and talk about this in the morning," she said carefully, giving the impression that she was too tired to be either terribly upset or happy about his newfound feelings. Although she slept well in his reassuring embrace, Peyton woke with a start, sitting straight up in bed. Lucas sat up beside her groggily, immediately questioning what was going on.

"We need to talk," she said in what he would have termed horror. It was too early to worry about her tone of voice. Lucas rubbed his eyes and looked over at her questioningly, wondering if she realized that his brain wasn't functioning properly so early in the morning. The look of pinched worry on her face pulled him out of his fog long enough to nod, signaling for her to begin.

"I want to be here," she said suddenly, surprising him out of his grogginess.

"Good," he said calmly. "Because I want you to be here too."

"I don't know what it means."

"You don't have to," Lucas assured her. "We can figure it out together."

"Okay," she said hesitantly.

"Okay then," he said, glancing at the clock for the first time. "Peyton!"

"What?"

"It's six in the morning! We're going back to sleep," he said grumpily. Not waiting for an answer, he pulled her back down to the bed and lay on his side, holding her close so that she didn't really have a choice but to close her eyes and attempt a few more hours of sleep. When she awoke that morning, she could tell it was late because of the bright sun shining through the window. Before she could get out of bed, Lucas appeared in the doorway with an antique wooden tray that his mother had given him. Peyton's eyes were wide when she saw that the tray was laden with two plates of thick French toast and bacon.

"What's the occasion?" She asked groggily.

"You," he answered with a warm smile. He set the tray on the nightstand and climbed back into bed next to her, pulling the covers up to ward off the autumn chill.

"That's very sweet. You do know you've already got me, right?"

"I figured a little breakfast in bed wouldn't hurt."

"I like the way you think."

* * *

The title comes from "When You Say Nothing at All," sung by Alison Kraus (written by don Schlitz) If you haven't head the song, it's absolutely beautiful and I definitely recommend it (Then again, I like every song I use in these titles).

"The smile on your face lets me know that you need me  
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me  
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall  
You say it best when you say nothing at all

All day long I can hear people talking out loud  
But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd  
Old Mr. Webster could never define  
What's being said between your heart and mine"


	17. Saying a Prayer

Thanks for the reviews so far! It's really encouraging. Sorry about not updating sooner - school is really kicking into full gear and I've been working extra hours. So, this is going to be a pretty short update. Hope you enjoy! Have a good week, enjoy the update, a longer one should be coming soon!

* * *

Chapter 17 Saying a Prayer

Peyton and Lucas had been together for a mere hours before Haley and Nathan were privy to the information. The rest of their family and friends were kept in the dark, mostly because both parts of the couple were still confused as to their complete feelings. A week after showing up at the apartment in the middle of the night, Peyton found herself at a playoff basketball game.

The crowd was louder than usual that evening, becoming more chaotic with each pass of the basketball. Haley was reading her Spanish book, repeating conjugated verbs under her breath. Sitting next to her was an intently concentrating Peyton. Strangely enough, she was not concentrating on the game. Instead, her hazel gaze was locked on the sketchbook that she held on her knees. She was working on a picture of the brothers on the court. Both girls' concentration broke when there was a thud on the court and an audible gasp from the crowd surrounding them.

Immediately snapping to attention, Peyton's heart dropped when she saw that Lucas was on the ground, surrounded in a circle of his teammates, the coach, and the team doctor. Somehow the two girls made it onto the gym floor and avoided the security men trying to keep everyone off the court and away from the action. The team trainer was on the opposite side of Lucas, performing CPR. Peyton dropped to her knees next to Nathan and took Lucas's hand in hers.

"What happened?"

"He just dropped," Nathan said hollowly; he was still in shock after seeing his brother pass out.

"The ambulance is here," the coach bellowed over the commotion, causing the players to move out of their protective circle and allow the EMTs through. Peyton soon found herself whisked away, along with Haley, as Lucas was wheeled out of sight. Startled, she simply stood in the middle of the chaos until she felt Nathan pull at her arm.

"Let's go," he said in an unsteady voice. She followed him without questioning, climbing into the back of a Taxi with him and Haley. They reached the hospital just after Lucas and had to wait for quite some time in the waiting room. As immediate family, Nathan and Haley were attempting to fill out the forms that they nurse had shoved at them. Haley had already called Karen from the taxi to let her know what was going on; she didn't want someone from the school to call and needlessly scare the older woman.

Three hours after they had first arrived, a doctor finally appeared that was willing to talk to them. "Would you like to come to my office?" Seeing that they had no choice, the three stood and followed him a short distance to his office and took seats in front of his desk.

"Is my brother okay?"

"Mr. Scott is stable," the doctor answered. Not the answer they had been hoping for.

"What happened?" It was Peyton who finally spoke after the dreaded first answer.

"Are you family?" He said it as though it was the first time he had actually noticed a third person. The nurses had told him that a brother and a sister in law accompanied the young man.

"Yes," Haley injected before anything came of it. "What happened to Luke?"

"It seems that Mr. Scott had a heart attack."

"My God," Haley muttered as she squeezed Nathan's hand. Peyton dropped her head as tears began to well uncontrollably in her eyes.

"He is in stable condition. But I would like to know what he was doing on the basketball court."

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked as he rubbed Haley's back, trying to comfort her tears while still paying attention to the doctor.

"Doesn't Mr. Scott know that he had a heart condition? It's right in his file."

"Lucas took that test. It was negative."

"Perhaps he told you it was negative. But it certainly was not. Mr. Scott suffers from Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition I see his father also has been diagnosed with."

* * *

The title from this chapter comes from Kenny Loggin's "Somewhere Out There." 


	18. I Have Some Things to Say

Wow! I had a bunch of reviews before I finished checking my email last night! I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story. Thanks so much for the reviews – I love to know if you all like the story's progression and what you think of the different situations. I know that the turn of events was sudden, but it was either that or end the story… and I think this way will be much more interesting. Here is the next part (I completed this while I should have been studying finance, so cross your fingers for me that I don't fail the midterm on Thursday -) Anyway, here is the next part – enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 18 I Have Some Things to Say

When Lucas's eyes finally flickered open, the first thing he saw was Peyton, sitting next to him on the hospital bed, flipping agitatedly through a magazine. He attempted to speak but realized that his throat was terribly dry. Peyton must have sensed he was awake because she poured a glass of water and helped him sip from it. "Better?" He nodded. "Good," she said calmly before smacking him with her magazine.

"Hey! What was that for?" He grimaced as he raised his voice for the first time in days.

"Having a heart attack, you ass! When were you going to tell us you had Dan's disease? Thank God you lived. Because otherwise I would have had to kill you."

"That doesn't make any sense," Lucas said weakly.

"I know," Peyton said more calmly, her reserve slowly returning. She turned so that she could face him and leaned down to give him a careful, awkward hug. "I was so scared," she said in a tremulous voice. "I can't lose you." She pulled away but continued to sit on the edge of the bed, sitting as close as she could while still facing him.

"You didn't," Lucas whispered back.

"But I could have. And it's going to be hard to forget that."

"I'm sorry."

"You should be," she whispered hoarsely, the tears welling in her eyes now completely visible.

"I am sorry," he stressed again.

"Prove it," she challenged tearfully.

"Peyton, please don't cry, I'm okay now. And what do you mean?"

"No more basketball."

"Peyton—"

"It could kill you," she said harshly. "And I'm not willing to live with that risk. So you're done."

"Do you know what you're asking me to give up?"

"Compared to family, friends, and life? It's really not that much."

"You're overreacting," he said weakly.

"Overreacting?" She was livid and her expression and voice gave it away. "You had a heart attack Lucas. People die from heart attacks. Besides the fact that 18 year olds aren't supposed to have them." Her voice was getting louder as her temper increased; she was still running on the pure fear she had felt when she's first seen Lucas lying on the gymnasium floor.

A nurse must have heard them arguing because she and Lucas's doctor appeared in the room just moments after he awoke. "Hello Mr. Scott. It's good to see you awake. How do you feel?"

"Sore."

"That's no surprise," the doctor said with a good-natured smile. "You're lucky you're still with us." Peyton glared at Lucas as the doctor mentioned that small fact. He avoided her blazing glare and instead focused his attention on the doctor.

"When can I go home?"

"Not for a few days. You just had heart surgery. Give it at least a few days," the doctor said with a good-natured laugh. "And then you'll need to follow up with your primary care doctor."

"He doesn't have one," Peyton said irritably.

"I would be happy to keep you on as a primary patient," Dr. Parker said, "And it will be important that you have regular visits, at least in the beginning. Have you been taking your prescriptions?"

"I was," Lucas said weakly.

"What?" Peyton was aghast that he had stopped taking something so important.

"They ran out," Lucas said in a voice that bordered on pathetic.

"Well, it's a clean slate," the nurse said in a chipper tone. "You have a new beginning. And you'll need to take those pills regularly."

"He will," Peyton said warningly. She reached for Lucas's hand and squeezed it lightly, conveying her support but also her presence. He wasn't getting away with secrets and lies any longer. The doctor left after offering a few more words of encouragement.

"Mr. Scott needs rest," the nurse said kindly.

"I'll leave him alone. But I'm not leaving," Peyton said firmly. She moved to a nearby chair and scooted it closer to the bed so that she could once again pick up his hand. The nurse smiled, relenting to the young blond, and once again vacated the room.

"You didn't call my mom, did you?"

"Lucas, we flew her in. Of course we called her! She's your mother."

"She's gonna kill me—"

"She'll have to wait her turn. She should be here any time now." The talked idly about Nathan and Haley for a few minutes before Lucas began to get drowsy again from the multitude of drugs that were being pumped into his system.

"Peyton?"

"Yeah?" She leaned closer and laid her other hand on his arm as she gave him her full attention. "What is it?"

"I love you," he said gruffly. I'm sorry I scared you—"

"Shush," she ordered as she leaned over to kiss him lightly on the lips. "Don't worry about it. But try it again," she warned playfully. "And your PlayStation is _gone_."

"You wouldn't," he said tiredly.

"Oh, but I would," she promised softly. His eyelids were beginning to droop and she could almost hear his breathing evening out as he sank into a drug-induced sleep.

"I love you too, Luke," she said just as he fell back into his dreams. "I love you too." He was asleep before she finished the last word but a tiny, content smile played across his features as he lay among the blue hospital sheets and the fleece blanket Haley had brought from their apartment. By the time Karen arrived after dinner that night, she found Peyton asleep, half-lying across an also sleeping Lucas. She and Haley entered the room together and the younger girl assumed a guilty expression when the older woman looked at her questioningly.

"They seem to be getting along better lately," Haley said dryly, knowing that was the least informative answer she could offer the concerned mother.

"I can see that," Peyton said with a gently smile. "It's okay, Haley. I like Peyton."

"Me too," Haley said with a warm smile. "It nice, knowing that there's someone who loves Lucas as much as we do."

"Certainly helps to spread the worry. The boy certainly gives us enough to worry about," she said dryly.

"I don't think they're going to wake up any time soon. Why don't you come and have dinner with me and Nathan."

"That sounds nice," Karen said with as much as smile as she could offer while her son was lying in a hospital bed. Haley put her arm around the older woman and they walked slowly down the hallway toward the exit, leaving Peyton and Lucas to each other for a few hours more.

* * *

The title for this chapter comes from Maroon 5's "Sweetest Goodbye:"

"_Pushing forward and arching back  
Bring me closer to heart attack  
Say goodbye and just fly away  
When you comeback  
I have some things to say"_


	19. Accidentally in love

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for reviwing and I can't tell you how sorry I am that this took so long. I've been really busy with school and work and this was the first chance I got to proof and post these next chapters – hope you enjoy! Hope everyone has a great week – and a Happy Easter to those who celebrate!

* * *

Chapter 19 Accidentally in love

After two weeks in the hospital, the doctors finally agreed to release Lucas, but only with the reassurance from the patient that he would continue resting and taking things slowly. Karen felt almost unnecessary as Peyton, Haley, and Nathan helped Lucas get settled into his bed in the corner of the living room. She sat on the sofa as she watched Peyton carefully help Lucas into bed. The intuitive mother had certain suspicions as she watched the careful and loving way in which the younger girl dealt with Lucas.

"I think I have enough books," Lucas said jokingly in regards to the three-dozen books Peyton had stacked on his nightstand shelves.

"You'll have plenty of time to read them," Peyton answered back.

"She's right, Lucas," Karen said from across the room. "You need to listen to the doctors this time. Or there may not be a next time."

"Can we not be morbid on Luke's first night home?" Haley posed the question from the kitchen where she was making dinner for them all.

"I agree," Lucas said wearily. "You guys are taking this way too seriously." Before Karen or Peyton could pounce on him with arguments to the contrary, Haley announced that it was time for dinner. That night, Peyton insisted that Karen take her bed and get some actual rest. The older woman finally agreed and left them alone, giving Peyton and Lucas the first real opportunity to be alone since he had collapsed at the game.

"I'm glad you're home," Peyton whispered gently as she crawled onto the bed with him.

"I'm glad to be home." He put his arm gingerly around her and they both moved carefully until they were in a comfortable situation. Although Peyton had fully intended to move before Karen woke up the next morning, she unknowingly drifted off to sleep and was caught when the older woman arose. Karen couldn't be angry when they looked absolutely adorable cuddled together under the covers. But then, once she thought of where that had gotten her at a young age, she gently shook Peyton awake.

"Peyton, wake up," she said gently.

"What?" She said groggily, her eyes barely fluttering open. All at once, she remembered the situation and jumped up, hitting her elbow on Lucas's nightstand and then crying out in pain. The sound caused Lucas to quickly awaken, sitting up too quickly. He cringed as he felt the pain radiating through his body.

"Careful," Peyton admonished, helping him lay back down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Her voice was calm but her expression gave away the fact that she was embarrassed and a little bit terrified to be found in such a compromising position by Karen.

"Mom, we just fell asleep this way—"

"Nothing happened," Peyton insisted.

"I know," Karen said, standing up again. "Which is why I'm just going to let it drop. But I want you both to think long and hard before you get involved in something you might not be ready to handle." They both nodded, looking at the bedspread so as to avoid her motherly frown. "I'll make breakfast." Luckily, Karen did let the matter drop. That didn't stop her, however, from sleeping in the living room for the remainder of her stay in the city.

* * *

Two weeks after Lucas was released from the hospital, life began to return to a normal rhythm. Peyton and Haley still watched Lucas like a hawk and Nathan rarely mentioned basketball, but they had begun to calm down, letting him out of their sight for longer periods of time. Peyton hurried home one Friday from one of her art classes, agitated that it had taken much longer than she had expected. Since Haley had left for a Biology lab around two in the afternoon, Lucas had been alone for almost three hours. She walked into the quiet apartment to find it completely empty. She immediately began to panic, wondering where Lucas might have gone; he wasn't supposed to be active or on his own.

Calling Lucas's cell phone, she groaned when she realized that it was ringing from the kitchen counter where he had conveniently left it.

Somewhere across town, Lucas was leaning heavily against his brother as they walked into the seventh jewelry store of the day. Nathan shook his head as Lucas sat in the first available chair.

"Man, you could have at least waited until you could walk," he said sarcastically.

"This is important."

"Peyton's going to kill you for leaving the apartment."

"She doesn't need to know. Her art class goes until five."

"It's almost six," Nathan said after consulting his watch.

"Well, this it the last stop. If I don't find it here, I don't think I ever will."

Lucas arrived home, proud as a peacock and grinning from ear to ear, to find Peyton crying on the living room sofa. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Her voice was harsh, her eyes not quite able to glare at his twinkling blue gaze. "Lucas, I had no idea where you were. Anything could have happened."

"Nothing did."

"But I didn't know that," she insisted. "You're not well enough to be out."

"Don't worry, I was with Nate."

"Could you leave a note next time?" She asked the question in pure exasperation, giving up all hope that she could be angry with him and teach him some sort of lesson.

"I will," he said apologetically. "I'm sorry. I thought that I'd be home before you."

"Luke, if you're trying to drive me crazy, it's working."

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

"It's okay. I'm just tired. Let's drop it." And with that, the excitement for the evening was ended and the two were once again able to spend time together in general calm and happiness. They spend the remainder of the evening eating dinner and watching old movies but Peyton was a bit suspicious that a knowing grin never once left her boyfriend's expression.

* * *

The title comes from the Counting Crows' "Accidentally in Love." If you haven't heard it, I highly recommend it – it's just a wonderfully happy and cute song from the Shrek II soundtrack. 


	20. She’s in Love with the Boy

Chapter 20 She's in Love with the Boy

Lucas awoke to find her hazel eyes staring at him, as though in great confusion and grand contemplation. Her left hand, adorned now with the antique ring, lay contently on his chest. Their legs were intertwined as a result of the need to feel close and her inability to sleep soundly. After sleeping in the same bed with her for several months, Lucas likened it to sleeping with a human sized eggbeater, forever tossing and turning. Their relationship had not yet been physical but they sometimes had to remind themselves of the other's presence.

"You're still here." Peyton's voice was content and still thick with sleep but in it Lucas recognized strains of doubt.

"Get used to it. It'll be a constant morning theme for the rest of our lives. I'm not going anywhere." This answer gave her some sort of peace and she smiled contently before snuggling against him, her blond curls splayed across his arm and chest. Reality didn't hit their cloud until the holidays closed in.

Peyton knew she was going to burst as soon as she saw her best friend, so they decided to send Haley and Nathan to the airport to pick up Brooke, Karen, and Larry. They had all decided that Thanksgiving dinner would take place in her and Lucas's apartment, considering that it was a bit roomier than the other Scott New York apartment. She paced around the apartment, straightening things that had been perfect since the day before and putting finishing touches in the various rooms. They rumpled Lucas's bed up a little bit and made sure to change the dusty sheets, just to make the appearance that he was actually sleeping there. Haley was the only person outside of Peyton and Lucas who knew about the sleeping arrangement and also the only person beside Nathan to know about the engagement. The engagement clear in her mind, Peyton yelped when she realized that the vintage sapphire ring was perched on her left ring finger, a clear indication of the secret they wanted to keep until dinner. They thought that perhaps a nice Thanksgiving dinner would calm the parents and cause them not to get too upset with the news.

She was stuffing the ring into her pocket when Lucas entered the living room laden with pillows and blankets. Their guests were staying for three nights and they were all staying with Peyton and Lucas. The thought was that Brooke and Peyton would stay in her bed, Karen on Lucas's bed and Larry and Lucas fending for themselves between the love seat and pull out sofa.

"It's not for long," Lucas said when he saw her distraught expression after removing the ring. "We could tell them tonight—"

"No, we'll stick with the plan," Peyton said quickly. The plan was the only thing keeping her sane at that moment of uncertainty. Lucas set the pile of blankets in the corner next to his bed and walked a few steps to put his arms around her. She lay against his chest, listening for a moment to the reassuring sounds of his heartbeat; it was something that had put her to sleep so many times. "I'm going to miss you while they're here."

Lucas groaned as he realized what she was saying. He was not looking forward to sleeping in the same room with Larry Sawyer after he told the man he meant to take his daughter away. "We should have told them to get a hotel room."

"That wouldn't have been suspicious," Peyton said dryly. "Besides, Brooke still would have insisted on sleeping in my bed.

"You two aren't doing that anymore when we're married."

"It's harmless."

"Not when you've got a husband to be sleeping with."

"Lucas—"

"Peyton—" It was a mock argument, one that ended in a deep kiss. It may have lasted longer had they not heard Haley's key in the door. They jumped apart just in time but must have looked guilty because Brooke gave them both a look of skepticism before running at Peyton and hugging her.

"Hey, P.Sawyer. I've missed you! You look as great as ever. What else did we expect? Lucas! How goes life in the big city?"

"Good Brooke," he said with a smile as he leaned down to hug her in greeting. "Hey mom." The next few minutes were filled with greetings and hugs and ended in an awkward silence as they all stood amidst the suitcases the three guests had brought with them.

Dinner that night was simple fare but completely uncomfortable for the newly engaged couple. Brooke made an incredibly large deal out of Peyton not having a boyfriend yet and told the two Scott brothers that they should be introducing her to the other guys on the basketball team. Peyton answered that she was trying to focus on school and although that was a satisfactory answer for the parents, Brooke didn't believe it for a second. They played a card game after dinner and talked for the longest time about classes and the basketball season. It was past one in the morning when they finally retired to their respective beds.

Peyton was surprised to find that, half an hour later, she couldn't fall asleep; she and Brooke had grown up sleeping in the same bed but now it didn't seem to be enough familiarity to lull her to sleep. She got up and crept into the bathroom, the only room where she could turn on the light without waking anyone else. Not sure what else she could do without waking the entire apartment, she settled on a bubble bath and an old book. She kept several of her favorites in a basket under the sink and there was always a classic or two lying around thanks to Lucas.

She seriously hadn't thought the running water would wake anyone so late at night but she hadn't taken her clothes off before a soft knock sounded at the door. She opened it a crack and saw Lucas staring through the slim space between the door and the frame.

"What are you doing?" His voice was a whisper, but she still pulled him inside, not wanting to chance waking her father and Karen.

"Taking a bath, what does it look like? What are you doing awake?"

"Your dad snores. And it's not as endearing when he does it."

"I don't snore."

"Whatever you say."

"You can leave now," she said with a glare.

"I'm awake now."

"Too bad. I'm taking a bath."

"I'll join you," he said mischievously.

"Are you crazy?" She whispered with an amused grin. "My dad's in the next room. He'll shoot you if he finds you in here."

"They're all sleeping like logs. They've had a long trip."

"Nice try," Peyton said dryly, but with small smirk. "But no way. I'm not feeling particularly suicidal today. You're just going to have to go back—" As she whispered, Lucas sat on the floor with his back against one wall, his feet on the cabinet, and opened one of his books that had been sitting on a stool. "You can't stay in here."

"I need light to read. You have light in here."

"You're crazy," she said with a roll of her eyes. Nevertheless, she pulled the patchwork cloth shower curtain halfway around the tub and was soon soaking in raspberry bubbles while Lucas pretended to read War and Peace for the fifth time. "I'm getting out," she said after almost an hour of soaking. "Close your eyes."

"Peyton, we're going to be married—"

"We're not married yet. Close your eyes." Reluctantly he did, only to pretend to peak just as she stepped out of the tub and wound a soft bath towel around her. She saw the eyes flutter open and kicked him. Luckily for them both, he remembered the late hour just in time to stop himself from yelling out. In a stroke of luck that they would talk about for years to come, they somehow got out of the bathroom that night without getting caught. That's what they thought, at least, until Peyton climbed back into bed.

"It's about time," Brooke muttered as she rolled over and hogged more of the covers. Peyton never did have the opportunity to question her about the comment. She assumed it meant that Brooke had been waiting for her to return from the bathroom but a small part of her knew that Brooke wasn't stupid; she had known for quite some time that Peyton and Lucas were eventually going to become a couple.

They all awoke early the next morning and mostly watched as Haley helped Karen get the turkey into the oven. Peyton may have offered to help but the other two women just seemed so capable that she didn't want to interfere. To add to that, Brooke wouldn't have allowed her to do something so domestic. Brooke Davis was in town and she intended to use every minute of time she was allotted with her best friend. They all decided to dress up a bit for dinner that night; it seemed that the occasion warranted skirts and blouses that required ironing and shirts that buttoned. Peyton slipped on her ring, as she was getting dressed for dinner and actually forgot about it after entering the kitchen and living room area. The table had been set beautifully and Karen was busy arranging the last few items. Haley handed a basket of bread to Peyton who, in turn, handed it over to Karen.

What the older woman saw caused her to drop the entire basket on the plush carpet. The basket hitting against the chair made enough noise to catch the attention of everyone in the apartment. They all watched as Karen reached and took hold of Peyton's left hand, her eyes focused on the antique-set sapphire.

"Lucas?" She voice broke in complete confusion as she said his name. Lucas and Peyton exchanged looks of fear and Haley attempted to maintain complete innocence. Lucas crossed the room quickly and stood next to Peyton.

"You okay mom?"

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Karen, there's something we want to tell you. Everyone, actually. We were waiting for dinner—"

"Should I sit down or go and get my gun?" Larry posed the question as he too walked over to them and commenced staring at the ring.

"We're engaged," Peyton said with one quick breath. The quicker she spit it out, the faster they could get on with the fall out. If Karen's stare was any indicator, she apparently thought Peyton had lost her mind.

* * *

The title is from Trisha Yearwood's "She's in Love with the Boy." 


	21. Daddy Don’t Cry

Chapter 21 Daddy Don't Cry

"You're what?"

"Engaged," Lucas said firmly, catching Peyton's hand in his. "We know it's a little young, but we're not quitting school or anything—"

"How do you propose to stay in school while being married?" It was Larry who voiced the most rational question, but Brooke who simply cast it aside.

"Papa Peyton, I have an idea," she said with a huge grin. "Let's just take a minute to be happy for these two before getting into the logistics. It's about time they realized what was right in front of them." Brooke walked over to Peyton and pulled her best friend into a strong hug.

"Congratulations," Haley said softly.

"Oh, don't even try it, Haley. I saw your face when she said it. You already knew," Brooke accused playfully. Her eyes turned to glare, half-jokingly, at her long time best friend. "I'll try not to be too hurt that I wasn't at the top of the list of people to tell."

"Brooke—" Peyton began in an attempt to explain, but Brooke shook her head, stopping the explanation.

"Don't worry about it. I get it. I'm happy for you two."

"Thanks," Peyton said as she gripped Lucas's hand tightly, waiting for one of the parents to react.

"You're sure about this?" Larry didn't look terribly happy, but he wasn't yelling; they all took that as a good sign. Peyton nodded, stepping toward him and finally enveloping him in a hug.

"Daddy, this is what I want."

"Did you get Peyton pregnant?" It was the first thing that came to Karen's mind and she knew first hand how hard their lives were about to get if that were the case.

"Mom, no," Lucas insisted. "We're in love. And we know this is what we want. I already checked on my scholarships and they're all still valid if I get married. It will work out."

Before they knew what was happening, the Thanksgiving weekend was over and the four Freshman once again found themselves without parents in the big city. Brooke, however, was almost a consistent present. By phone and email, that was. As the only friend still in North Carolina, she was making a lot of the wedding plans. She also tended to take charge of projects and Peyton simply allowed her to do it; she herself didn't care so much about the wedding as long as it ended in Lucas becoming her husband.

* * *

"I can't believe this is happening," Karen said with a shake of her head as she stared at Peyton in the full-length mirror. 

"I thought that was my line," Peyton answered with a knowing smile.

"You seem awfully calm for such an important day." Peyton turned around and faced Karen, her hazel eyes damp with unshed tears. She took the older woman's hands in hers and squeezed gently before she began to speak.

"I know you think we're rushing in to this, but I have never been so sure of anything in my entire life. I love Lucas and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with him." Peyton broke into a sentimental smile as she reached up to brush away an escaped tear. "There's nothing to be nervous about – I feel like my life is finally complete." Karen shook her head in disbelief as she pulled the younger girl into a hug, being careful not to tread on the white satin that lay between them both on the plush blue carpet.

"I do think you're too young. But I couldn't ask for a better daughter. I couldn't be happier that we're going to be a family."

"We already were," Peyton answered softly. Their emotional moment was interrupted when the door swung open and two brunettes came running into the room, one chasing the first, who was shaking a bouquet of red roses quite emphatically at Peyton and Karen.

"What's wrong Brooke?"

"I tried to stop her," Haley said as she sank tiredly into a nearby chair, having completely given up her chase.

"This wedding is crazy! You can't expect to have decent wedding on three weeks' notice! The florist didn't even get the bouquets right," she said as she shook the flowers once more to indicate their inadequacy. "These were supposed to be tea roses."

"They look fine," Peyton said dryly.

"Fine! Do you want your wedding to be fine? The guests to go home and say 'oh, that wedding was fine?'" Peyton picked up her train and carefully moved across the room to sit on a chair. She settled herself and looked calmly at Brooke, choosing her words carefully before speaking.

"Brooke, is Lucas out there?"

"Yes, but—" Peyton interrupted before Brooke could comment further.

"Is my father there?"

"He is, but—"

"Nathan, yourself, Haley, and everyone else I care about?"

"Yes, the flowers—"

"Don't matter," Peyton said firmly. "I'm getting married to the man I love. That's all that matters." Haley, having listened to the entire dialogue, was now standing next to Karen, her arm around the woman, and they were both grinning happily. They knew their boy had made the right choice and they were thrilled that Peyton was the woman he chose to share his life with. Even if the wedding was occurring a little earlier than Karen would have liked it.

"Hey, is there a bride in here waiting to be given away?" Larry Sawyer poked his head into the brides' room and flashed a genuine smile, taking in the entire scene. Peyton was completely ready, garbed in her mother's wedding gown, Haley's necklace from Nathan, a brand new pair of silk heels, and an article of blue clothing that Brooke had given her—an item of clothing that she preferred not to discuss. Brooke and Haley, the maid and matron of honor, were dressed in different but equally flattering black gowns. There hadn't been enough time to order proper bridesmaids' gowns so they had chosen off the rack dresses that complimented one another.

Peyton took her father's arm and the entire procession moved out into the vestibule of the church. Somehow they had convinced Father Donnelly to marry them on extremely short notice. After a bit of suspicion on his part, he gave into Peyton's pleas and agreed to marry the two despite the fact that Lucas wasn't Catholic and Peyton hadn't actually stepped inside the church since her mother's death. Brooke started down the aisle first on Jake's arm; they followed Jenny, who happily threw flower petals from the little basket Karen had given her. Haley followed, walking down the aisle alone and standing across from Lucas and Nathan when she finally reached the end. She turned around just in time to see the doors open once more, revealing Peyton and Larry. Haley was happy Peyton's hadn't chosen to wear a veil; it wouldn't have suited her as much as the beautiful white flowers that adorned her blond curls.

Poinsettias lined the aisles; they had been the easiest flower to find with so little time to plan. Candles were lit on every pew, casting a magical glow over the small congregation that had gathered that Christmas Eve to witness the marriage of Peyton and Lucas. Peyton smile widened as she passed the pew that held Skills and Mouth; they cleaned up nicely. She tried not to grimace when she noticed Dan and Deb sitting in a pew but calmed herself quickly by looking down the aisle at Lucas. She locked eyes with him and smiled secretively; this was only the beginning.

The reception was a small ordeal, one planned mostly for the benefit of Brooke than Lucas and Peyton. The young couple stayed for the allotted three hours, talking to various well-meaning adults who clucked at the for getting married too young. Peyton had to bite her tongue a few times in order to stop herself from mentioning her dear brother and sister-in-law who were approaching their fourth anniversary. When the clock struck ten, Peyton squeezed Lucas's hand and looked at him pleadingly. He understood what she wanted and immediately began to wrap up his conversation with one of his mother's friends.

Within half an hour, they were away from the crowd and checking into a nearby hotel for the night. They would leave the next morning for their honeymoon to London; a wedding gift from Larry. First, they would begin their married life in the town in which they had grown up and met.

* * *

The title comes from the song "Butterfly Kisses." 

Butterfly kisses with her mamma there  
Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair  
"Walk me down the aisle Daddy, it's just about time  
Does my wedding gown look pretty Daddy? Daddy don't cry"  
Oh, with all that I've done wrong, I must have done something right  
To deserve a her love every morning and butterfly kisses


	22. Ready or Not

Sorry about the long wait. I graduated from college about two weeks ago, and have since been scrambling around to other graduations and trying to start my masters program (while working at two part time jobs and trying to keep my family happy). In the meantime, I lost my flash drive, along with a good chunk of my writing (including this story). Now that I'm done mourning the loss of all that writing, I'm just going to have to try and reproduce it. Again, sorry for the long wait. But I promise I'm not dropping any of my stories – they will be completed. Thanks so much for all of the encouraging reviews! Hope you enjoy this next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 22 Ready or Not

Before opening his eyes, Lucas came to the horrific realization that it was the first day of spring midterms. He wasn't ready. He attempted to roll back over and fall asleep, but he realized with a groan that his wife had already vacated the bed. Standing up and stretching, he looked around their bedroom to find it empty. "Peyton?" He called in a sleepy voice before beginning to trudge toward the hall. Any remnants of sleep and bleary thought were shaken when he neared the bathroom and heard her gagging inside. "Peyton?" He knocked softly on the bathroom door, running his other hand through his sleep-tousled hair. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she answered back dryly. He tried the doorknob but found it, predictably, locked.

"Open the door, Pey—"

"Luke, I'm fine. Go away."

"You don't sound fine."

"Go away," she groaned again.

"Open the door," he insisted. There was a moment of silence before he heard the lock click. Opening the door, he found her sitting on the bathroom carpet, her head resting on the now-closed toilet seat. As gently as possibly, he picked her up and started back toward their bedroom.

"Bad fish," she said weakly.

"It looks like," he agreed. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't make the fish."

"But I still don't want you to be sick," he said gently as he laid her back under the covers. Dropping a soft kiss on her forehead, he went to turn out the bedroom light. An hour later, she was sleeping again and he was looking up her class schedule and attempting to find out which professors needed to be contacted concerning the coming day. At first he considered leaving her alone long enough to take his midterms but just as he was about to leave, she began throwing up once more. She insisted that he leave but he ignored her weak protests and held her hair back while she emptied the meager contents of her stomach.

Twenty minutes before his British Literature midterm was about to begin, Lucas got in touch with Nathan, who was just coming out of a calculus exam.

"Hey," he said as he picked up his cell phone. "What's up?"

"Nathan! Where have you been?"

"Failing a calc midterm. What's the matter?"

"I'm supposed to be taking a midterm in twenty minutes but Peyton's sick. I tried to call Hales—"

"She's in a Biology midterm. It's a lab, she'll be there all day," Nathan interrupted. "I'll come over."

"I can probably just make up the test if I explain—"

"Luke, I can help."

"Okay," Lucas relented uncertainly. "See you in a few." He hung up the phone and his eyes drifted back toward his wife, who was currently curled up in a ball in the middle of their bed. She looked liked she was sleeping more comfortably at that point, so Lucas pulled the quilt over her shoulders and attempted to straighten the multitude of blankets. Lucas blew out the door as soon as Nathan arrived, planning to take his midterms as quickly as possible and return. He trusted his brother, truly he did. But he found it difficult even trusting his mother with Peyton. There was something about her that fell chiefly to Lucas's responsibility.

Lucas left the class realizing that he had probably just failed his first class but not particularly caring. His professor must have noticed something a bit odd because she stopped Lucas outside the lecture hall door, leaving her assistants to proctor the test. "Lucas!"

"Hey, Dr. Baldwin," Lucas said with the best smile he could muster.

"You look a little rushed. Everything okay? I noticed you were late for the test this morning."

"Sorry about that. My wife is sick and I didn't want to leave her so I had to wait for my brother to get back from his class—"

"I didn't realize you were married," she said with a gentle smile. She had always liked Lucas, always thought of him as one of the more responsible freshmen she had ever met. Now she had a slight indication as to the reason for his respectable behavior.

"Yeah, over Christmas break. I normally wouldn't let it interfere with class work, but she was sick, so—"

"I'll take that into consideration," Dr. Baldwin said with a nod. "Have a good weekend Lucas."

"Thanks. You too." He took off, running almost the entire distance to the subway where he jumped on the first train and made it back to his apartment in record time. Nathan was playing some mind-numbing game on the computer while Peyton sat, wrapping in a blanket, on the living room sofa.

"Hey," Lucas greeted her gently.

"Hey." She didn't say anymore, but glanced almost nervously at Nathan. Lucas got the idea and went about kicking his brother out. He couldn't feel too bad about it; Haley would be out of class shortly, giving him someone else to pester. As soon as Nathan was gone, Peyton stood and crossed the room to Lucas. He noticed that her color had returned to normal and she looked completely healthy; much different from earlier that morning.

"We need to talk," Peyton said ominously.

"What's up?"

"Let's sit down."

"Peyton, what's going on? Are you feeling better? You look much better—"

"I kind of wish I were still sick."

"Okay—" Lucas said as he sat down next to her on the sofa, shifting so they were sitting next to one another. "That's a little different."

"I think I know what happened this morning." She closed her eyes for a minute and Lucas began to wonder if she was going to pick the conversation back up. "I-think-I'm-pregnant," she said in one continuous breath before looking away, averting Lucas's surprised expression.

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"I'm not sure what else to say right now. This is big."

"Actually, it's quite small."

"Not funny."

"I know. Lucas, I'm a lot freaked out right now. Could you try not to be?"

"I could try. But I don't see that working right now. Are you sure?"

"I'm always regular and I'm over a month late. I took one of those home tests earlier today. I think it's pretty reliable."

"Wow."

"Yeah," She said with a soft sigh. She bit her lip, not sure whether to cry or become angry. This was not the reception she had accepted from the man she had come to love over the past few crazy and angst-filled years.

"We're gonna have a baby?" His voice was still monotone and completely without feeling, leaving Peyton with a feeling of utter defeat.

"Looks like," she said, the tears already starting to fill her hazel eyes.

"I'm gonna be a dad," he said softly. She was praying to sink into a black hole in the atmosphere so she missed the moment when his blue eyes began to sparkle. It was difficult to miss, however, the one quick movement he made that swung her joyfully into the air and around the room.

"Lucas!"

"We're having a baby," he said with a charming Scott grin.

"You said that already," she said with a laugh.

"It's a little hard to believe."

"Are you happy?"

"Of course. It's a little unexpected in the timing, but of course I want us to start a family. And I guess we have," he said as he kissed her and then dropped a kiss on her flat stomach.

* * *

The chapter title comes from Phil Vasser's Song "In a Real Love." 


	23. New Love

I am wrapping up thisstory for now. I hope everyone enjoyed it. If you did, don't worry, there will be sequels. I already have another story posted that visits them thirteen years beyond this point, but I may write stories about the inbetween times. Please, let me know if you enjoyed this story. Thanks so much to everyone who was so wonderful to review! It really meant a lot and kept me writing, even when I hit an obstacle. So, enjoy, and watch for more stories to come. Hope everyone has a lovely summer!

* * *

"I swear to God, Lucas Scott, if you ever lay another hand on me, I'll chop it off," Peyton warned with an icy glare. Lucas stepped away from his slightly intimidating wife and, in the process, almost toppled over his best friend who was just coming up behind him.

"Going that well?" Haley asked with an amused smile. Lucas simply gave her a confused look and shrugged his shoulders. She laughed and scooted around him, walking toward the hospital bed with a stuffed bear in her hands. "Hey Sweetie," she cooed to Peyton as she leaned down to carefully hug the blond. "How's it going?"

"I just want to go home," Peyton said sadly.

"You will, Pey. As soon as we meet this beautiful baby girl we keep hearing about. Have you guys decided on any names?"

"IhateLucas."

"That might scar a kid."

"I think we're going with Winifred," Lucas said as non-invasively as possible. He stuck close to the door, shifting constantly under the scrutiny of Peyton's glare.

"That's pretty. We'll have our own little Winnie—"

"Fred," Peyton interrupted just before her face distorted in pain. Haley grabbed her hand while Lucas raced to her other side and helpfully reminded his wife to breathe. That earned him a smack to the back of the head as soon as Peyton was able to concentrate on something other than excruciating pain. Nathan and Larry both entered the room at one point or another, but in the end it was only Haley and Lucas that were brave enough to remain with the woman for more than a few minutes.

Almost twenty hours after the labor had begun; Lucas and Peyton welcomed their first daughter into the world. Karen and Haley were both in the room with them and were the first to meet the beautiful, perfect baby. After Peyton was moved to a private room her father, Nathan, and Brooke also met the tiny little joy. Brooke looked absolutely petrified when Haley came walking toward her with the newborn. Nathan and Larry both took turns holding her but Brooke was content at just observing her from over someone else's shoulder. Eventually she sat down next to Peyton, who was a little spaced out from the drugs and a lack of sleep.

"So, you really did it."

"Did what?"

"Started your own family. You deserve this, Peyton. I'm so happy for you." The words were some of the most sincere she had ever heard from her friend and they caused tears to rush to her eyes. She was still teary-eyed when she was handed back her sleepy daughter. The newborn was yawning and waving her little firsts but calmed down as soon as she was in her mother's arms. Peyton realized, in a moment of complete loss of emotional control, how far she had come in one short year. She had never expected that she would be married and have her own baby before finishing college. Although she was a bit overwhelmed, she was also extremely happy; happier than she'd ever been before. If life had taught her anything thus far, it was that love had incredible power. It could unlock doors and open windows that hadn't even existed before.


End file.
